WWE Report Reveals Reception to CM Punk's Return to NXT and Potential Future Plans

A new WWE report reveals the reaction to CM Punk returning to NXT after Raw and his potential future plans in NXT

By Matthew Aguilar

CM Punk has been making the rounds since he returned to WWE at Survivor Series WarGames, appearing on Monday Night Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Deadline in the days since. This week Punk officially became a Raw Superstar and had a thrilling confrontation with Seth Rollins, but despite his Monday Night Raw status, it appears Punk isn't quite done with NXT. A new report from Fightful Select reveals that after he finished up on Raw, Punk flew out to Orlando and the WWE Performance Center for an unplanned visit. Sources have said that though he wasn't planned for the show itself, Punk spent most of the day at the PC and was backstage willing to help anyone who asked for it. There's also the possibility that he wants to be a bigger part of NXT down the line and step in for Shawn Michaels whenever he decides to walk away.

Punk even hung out with talent in the lounge and watched matches with talent and provided feedback. Fightful's Corey Brennan heard that Punk was moving around the area and observing, including areas behind the hard cam and in gorilla, Sources say that Punk is welcome at the Performance Center whenever he wants, and sources also say that Punk has been a pleasure to deal with so far, noting that there's a lot of excitement around him being there.

Ibou of WrestlePurists added another intriguing layer to all this, saying that Punk's long-term goal is to succeed Michaels in heading up NXT. That would obviously be something much further down the road, and WWE officials echo that sentiment, as there aren't any plans for Michaels to wrap up his time leading NXT. That said, it is an interesting idea to think of.

Michaels has been one of Punk's biggest advocates in the press, as any time he's been asked of a possible Punk return to WWE he's been nothing short of welcoming with open arms. The two shared the ring at NXT Deadline for some fun banter and a selfie, and when Punk made his shocking return at Survivor Series, Michaels was thrilled that Punk returning became a reality.

In an interview with Peter Rosenberg on Cheap Heat, Michaels was asked about Punk's return (via Fightful). Michaels said, "Like everybody else; happy, thrilled, Holy Cow. I got asked a couple months ago, 'if you had a chance to use him, would you?' Yeah, who wouldn't? I understand business. I wasn't always the most popular guy with people, but I was really good at my job. I feel like that's one of the reasons I've had one here in the WWE for almost 40 years. I'm dependable and I'm good at my job. If you are that, there is always an opportunity here if you want one."

"I'm happy for him, I'm happy for the company. I'm happy for the WWE fanbase, the WWE Universe. Stories like this are always fantastic, even if they're controversial, that's part of what makes them fantastic. There are times, I don't always know what's going on. Truth be told, I don't think sometimes they know what's going on. Unpredictability is just that, unpredictable. That's what makes this job so fantastic and so unique. That's why we've continued to thrive for 40-plus years," Michaels said.

What do you hope to see next for CM Punk in WWE? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

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