Highlights
- CM Punk's return to WWE is not ruled out, as no one in the company has explicitly stated that they won't consider bringing him back.
- Shawn Michaels expressed his positive thoughts about Punk and indicated that he would be open to signing him to NXT due to his star power and potential to make money.
- While it may seem unlikely, CM Punk's presence in NXT could be a way for him to prove himself before being brought back to the main roster, and his star power could elevate NXT as a competitor to Raw and SmackDown.
When CM Punk was fired by AEW, there was immediate speculation that he could return to WWE, the company which infamously fired him back in 2014. It seemed a long shot, but no one in WWE has said that they've rule it out. It would definitely be a shocker, but with Punk already having shown up at Raw months ago looking to speak to Triple H, anything seems possible. Many have already pointed out that this year's Survivor Series is set in Punk's hometown in Chicago.
While we can maybe see Punk on Raw or SmackDown, what if he came back to WWE on another brand? At a media call ahead of this weekend's NXT No Mercy Premium Live Event, Shawn Michaels was asked by Nick Hausman of Haus of Wrestling if he would sign CM Punk to NXT. “I always enjoy working with Phil. Again, I didn’t get to do it much, but I don’t know. I’ll say this. I understood him. I think there were, whether you want to say there were similarities in us. Look, I can’t lie. He, once again, we were at TV, and he once pulled out of his wallet, right there on the spot, a little autograph that I guess I had apparently signed for him in a hotel that he still had. So, I’ve always liked him.
“And I understand he’s a different kind of cat and can sometimes be challenging to get along with people, but again, that’s probably why I like him because I suffer from the same thing. So, but still, look, obviously, that’s for people to decide, higher up on the food chain than I am. He’s a guy that does numbers and makes money. I think that would be a risk, reward ratio that I’m sure, from a company standpoint, they’d have to consider, but when it comes to, would we take him in NXT and have him on our television? Are you kidding me? Of course, I would. I just don’t think anybody would let me... Who doesn't take that kind of star power?"
Could CM Punk In NXT Be Possible?
If CM Punk returns to WWE, it will most likely be on the biggest stage, in front of the most fans possible. That's what Raw and SmackDown would be. On the surface, NXT makes no sense. It's the smallest of WWE's shows, one that's in front of the least amount of fans, and has the lowest viewership. On top of that, it's mostly a developmental brand.
CM Punk in NXT could be interesting though. It could be used as a way to make him prove himself before WWE trusts him enough to put him on the main roster. His star power could also be used to make NXT a traveling show rivaling Raw and SmackDown. While the odds of that ever happening seem slim, wrestling lately has repeatedly taught us that anything is possible. If you can imagine it, then it can happen.
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