CM Punk’s Journey Back to WWE: Behind the Scenes of a Historic Return
It was the moment no person saw coming, the sort of shockwave that simplest seasoned wrestling can deliver. CM Punk, after nearly a decade away, made his thunderous return to WWE at Survivor Series 2023 in his fatherland of Chicago. The crowd’s roar echoed via the area like a tidal wave, marking one of the loudest ovations in WWE history. But at the back of that unforgettable second, there has been a story—a conversation among CM Punk and his long-time buddy and teacher, Ace Steel, which fashioned his return.
A Friendship Forged in Wrestling
CM Punk and Ace Steel move returned to the past due Nineties while Steel helped educate Punk to turn out to be the wrestling icon he is today. The bond between the two transcends the hoop. Steel, who were by means of Punk’s aspect thru thick and thin, noticed the rollercoaster ride his buddy were on in current years. Punk’s departure from WWE in 2014 had left lovers devastated, and his next stint with AEW turned into marred through behind the curtain chaos.
In September 2023, Punk’s AEW run ended unceremoniously after a heated altercation with Jack Perry on the All In PPV. It changed into Punk’s 2d behind the curtain fight in as a few years, the first regarding AEW’s pinnacle executives, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. That brawl brought about suspensions, injuries, and the termination of Ace Steel from AEW. Punk’s dream of operating with the Bucks and Omega changed into shattered, with the trio refusing to collaborate with him.
Steel, however, remained dependable to Punk at some stage in. The had shared endless battles and memories, along with Steel’s position as a manufacturer in AEW. Even as Steel become cast out of AEW, their friendship is in no way wavered. Steel’s loyalty could prove crucial in Punk’s selection-making process as he organized to step back into WWE’s squared circle.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
Before Punk’s iconic return to WWE, Steel sat down with him for a heart-to-coronary heart verbal exchange. Having labored as a train at WWE’s Performance Center from 2019 to 2022, Steel become in detail familiar with the evolving culture of WWE, especially underneath the innovative leadership of Paul “Triple H” Levesque. It became a communication that could no longer only affect Punk’s return but also reshape how he considered WWE and its management.
Steel recalled on Huge Pop Radio, “He’s in a great place now, but I wanted him to see that WWE had changed. I had seen Triple H every day at NXT, and the way he handled things was different from the old days. He’s not like Vince McMahon. You’re not walking on eggshells around him. Hunter runs the show with a sense of camaraderie.”
The records among Punk and Triple H was rocky, to mention the least. The butted heads during their wrestling careers, with Punk feeling stifled via WWE’s company shape. But Steel, having hung out below Triple H’s leadership, saw some thing exclusive. He advised Punk to rethink his beyond judgments.
“I told him, ‘You guys are more alike than you think. You’re both passionate about this industry and have the same goals, even if you couldn’t see it before.’ Punk was skeptical at first, but when he finally met with Hunter, he realized I was right. They both wanted to make wrestling better, and they were finally aligned on how to do it.”
A Return to the Love of Wrestling
For CM Punk, his go back to WWE wasn’t pretty much rekindling a misplaced courting with the agency; it changed into about rediscovering his love for expert wrestling. Punk had always been vocal about how the enterprise side of wrestling can put on down even the maximum dedicated performers. The backstage politics, the steady journey, and the high-stakes strain can flip a passion into a burden.
Steel reflected on how Punk had always cherished the grassroots aspect of wrestling. “He loved it when we were on the road, barely making $40 or $50 a night, traveling long distances because we were doing what we loved. But when wrestling becomes a job, that love can fade. I told him he needed to find that joy again, and that’s what this return is about. He’s back to teaching, back to giving to the next generation.”
Punk’s unannounced visit to Steel’s wrestling school was a testament to that. Steel described the surprise on his students’ faces when Punk walked in, ready to mentor. “I didn’t tell them he was coming. They were stunned. But Punk was there to give back, to teach what he had learned from legends like Eddie Guerrero, Harley Race, Raven, and Dusty Rhodes. This is what wrestling is for him now—a way to pass on what was given to him.”
What Lies Ahead for CM Punk
CM Punk’s go back to WWE has been not anything brief of a rebirth. He’s no longer the outsider searching in. Instead, he’s embraced the locker room, status shoulder-to-shoulder with the younger expertise, answering questions, and sharing his expertise.
As Punk prepares for his next most important bout—a possible Hell in a Cell fit in opposition to Drew McIntyre at WWE’s Bad Blood PLE in Atlanta—lovers are eager to see what this new chapter of his profession holds. The bitterness of the beyond has faded, and what remains is a person who has rediscovered his love for the game that made him a celebrity.
