Hell has officially frozen over. Phillip Brooks, predominantly known by his professional wrestling fans as CM Punk, has returned to the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after a nine-year hiatus this past Saturday.
In his hometown of Chicago, thousands of fans attending the Allstate Arena heard Punk’s music, Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality,” hit towards the last five minutes of WWE’s annual fall pay-per-view event, “Survivor Series.”
The crowd was delighted! Exulted bursts of joy, grown men jumping up and down and tears were shed when the hometown hero came home.
I can’t even compare the overwhelming reactions. Still, if I had to, it would resemble the same adrenaline if the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls and Cubs (or White Sox if you even recognize them. Just kidding! Not really!) all won their respective championships.
For WWE loyalists, this was a huge moment, as Punk has always been a man who followed his own path of anti-establishment and iconoclastic ways. Now, the sharp-tongued slayer has his work cut out for him, with all the veterans and recruits making a splash in their careers.
Following Punk’s arrival and the conclusion of “Survivor Series,” a man who has had a rather unpolished relationship with Punk over the years, Paul Levesque, stated in a press conference that he is always willing to do whatever is necessary to keep the WWE Universe (the fans) happy. For them, happiness stems from seeing wrestlers like Punk.
“If our fans want it, if the WWE Universe is excited to have it, then let’s go! And we’ll figure out the rest from there,” stated Levesque in his press conference remarks.
Levesque, the Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative for WWE, said Punk’s contract was discussed intimately between himself, Punk and Nick Khan, the CEO of WWE. No one outside these three knew about this decision, something quite rare in this industry, especially with frequent leaks made ahead of time about other wrestlers’ potential contracts by wrestling journalists.
With global wrestlers flying across the world to America and choosing between the WWE and its competitor, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), it seems the stakes are high on big names signing with these respective companies. The competition is only going to get more intense. But for fans, Christmas came early!
In a previous article I wrote earlier this semester, I noted how Punk was released from All Elite Wrestling due to his backstage antics involving physical fights with other wrestlers and his attitude. All I can wish for is that Punk has sobered up from his ways and will give fans the greatest comeback run of his life.
Punk, a veteran wrestler since 1999, has wrestled for all the largest independent and commercialized promotions in North America. Formerly, Punk is a two-time WWE Champion and three-time World Heavyweight victor.
In 48 hours’ time, rumors are swirling that Punk will earn a shot at facing the current World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, for his title at “Royal Rumble” on Saturday, January 27, in St. Petersburg, Florida. This event will air on the streaming platform Peacock.
Lord have mercy on Punk. If he throws any unprofessional hands like he did in AEW, that will be it for him and his in-ring career.
Brie Coder can be contacted at bmcoder@eiu.edu or 217-581-2812.
