It was pandemonium in Chicago this past weekend as the city's favorite son, CM Punk, returned to WWE for the first time in nine years at Survivor Series.
Before the show ended, “Cult of Personality” blared on the speakers, with the “Voice of the Voiceless” showing up at the very vocal Allstate Arena.
Hell has officially frozen over.
It was the first time Punk entered an arena with a WWE logo since 2014 when he walked out of an episode of Raw. This was following months of tension between both entities.
Punk received termination papers on his wedding day, which started serious hostility. Later, he conducted a scathing interview with former friend Colt Cabana on his time with the company. He didn’t return to wrestling until 2021, signing with All Elite Wrestling.
Punk’s time in AEW was initially praised but ended with controversy following suspensions and tension within the locker room. He was terminated by Tony Khan in late August.
CM Punk has made his return to the WWE 😤
— Sporting News Fights (@sn_fights) November 26, 2023
🎥: @WWE | #SurvivorSeries pic.twitter.com/l0T7iIQBGm
With Survivor Series in Chicago, Punk's presence was teased but never confirmed until the now Triple H-ran company signed him. After the returning Randy Orton and his team won their WarGames match, Punk showed up.
Punk didn't stop there, as he made his first appearance on Monday Night Raw in over nine years.
What happened with CM Punk on WWE Raw?
CM Punk returned to Raw at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on November 27. He was teased the entire night. WWE touted the success of Punk's appearance in Chicago, calling it the most social moment in WWE history.
When he came out, the fans went wild as "The Best in the World" came back to the place he left in a blaze of glory.
Punk's return only lasted eight minutes, as he said a few words of encouragement to the WWE Universe. He credited Dusty Rhodes and Paul Heyman for speaking the truth to him and guiding the way.
"I’ve changed. And once upon a time, an 'American Dream' taught me as long as you speak from the heart, you can’t go wrong," Punk said.
"Because it’s the truth. And this is the truth: I’m home... You people never forgot me when maybe I wanted to forget me. And that’s powerful. You are all powerful... The voiceless found their voice and I couldn’t be more proud of you."
The World Heavyweight Champion breaks his silence on #WWERaw. pic.twitter.com/m3wofuIHPA
— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2023
Punk said that he was welcomed back with open arms. Some even kissed him. He did say that there were those that didn't do so, who were afraid. It may have been a callback to Seth Rollins' promo earlier in the night, where he called Punk a hypocrite.
It was a restricted promo that didn't talk about his time in AEW or the reasons why he left both places. That appeared to be planned, given the time provided.
Regardless, Punk ended the night with the crowd chanting his name, his music playing, and him slyly saying to the camera, "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to make money."
"I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to make money."@CMPunk is BACK!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/JNs7M4xV1t
— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2023
How to watch CM Punk on WWE Raw
| Region | TV channel | Live Stream | Time |
| USA | USA Network | USA Network, Hulu, Fubo, Sling, YouTube TV | 8pm EST |
| UK/Ireland | TNT Sports 1 | — | 1am GMT (Tuesday) |
| Australia | Foxtel Ch.144 | Foxtel/Binge | 12pm AEDT (Tuesday) |
You can watch WWE Raw Live on USA Network in the US. Fans who don't have cable can stream WWE Raw with Fubo which is offering a free trial for all new subscribers.
For a limited time, new subscribers can save $40 on Fubo's Pro, Elite and Premier plans.
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CM Punk's return schedule, opponents
Per PW Insider, Punk's deal with WWE is supposed to be “several years in length,” with reports of three years being the starting point.
The belief is that he won't have a full-time schedule, but will be wrestling through his deal. He is not expected to have creative control like in his AEW run.
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