The unexpected return of CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, to the World Wrestling Entertainment ring, set the entire wrestling world into a flurry of excitement and speculation.
CM Punk’s WWE return has the wrestling world wondering what’s real and what’s fake https://t.co/aSoI6XJSY9 pic.twitter.com/DGWpvfDGFI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 26, 2023
This grand revelation occurred after Saturday’s Survivor Series Premium Live Event.
Despite weeks of conjecture going into the event at Chicago Punk’s home city, the much-anticipated comeback remained frontline news before, during, and after the showdown.
The return of “The Best in the World” to WWE was so well concealed that even the top authorities at TKO Group Holdings were taken by surprise.
According to Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s chief content officer, reactions from top TKO executives watching the event were along the lines of: ‘Holy ****,’”
Arguably, what fueled intrigue most were the reactions of the other WWE stars present in the ring at the time of Punk’s surprise entry.
Notably, Seth Rollins seemed overwhelmingly vexed, to such an extent that he needed restraint from commentators Michael Cole and Corey Graves.
Seth Rollins was irrate at CM Punk:
🎥: @KingLily_ pic.twitter.com/wHFUGmmfbv
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) November 26, 2023
So, was this spectacle a work (scripted) or a shoot (actual)? Perceptions differ.
News broke out, citing Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp, that the wrestlers involved in the 10-man War Games main event were alerted of Punk’s return after the match.
However, the return remained a clandestine affair, with the backstage area reportedly being cleared out and Levesque taking over producing duties, which included playing Punk’s entry music.
As seen on screen, Rollins’ outrage seems to be a deliberate performance to instigate a future angle, especially considering the publicized rivalry with Punk since the latter’s departure from WWE in early 2014.
At least that’s what Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter perceives it to be.
Angry Drew McIntyre storming out after Judgement Day lost.#wwe #SURVIVORSERIES pic.twitter.com/nvRbvD6MRR
— Christine (@ShiningPolaris) November 26, 2023
In less than three months since he was terminated by rival promotion AEW following multiple backstage fights, Punk’s return created an unavoidable wave in the wrestling world.
Indeed, CM Punk’s WWE return has the wrestling world pondering over the authenticity of each move and reaction.
It’s more than just a sport it’s an artful blending of reality with just the right amount of deception, much like a magic show, leaving fans and critics on the edge of speculation.
