CM Punk Returns to WWE Television After Nearly Six Years Away
CM Punk has made his return to WWE television after nearly six years away. On the new WWE Backstage TV show on Fox Sports 1, the legendary former wrestler made a surprise return, hinting he’ll become the gig’s newest correspondent.
Punk left WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble, suffering from a serious MRSA infection and extreme burnout. The Chicago native would later be sued by WWE following an explosive interview on The Art of Wrestling podcast. Punk won the lawsuit, but his relationship with WWE seemed irrevocably fractured, until now.
Introduced by host Renee Young, Punk entered the WWE Backstage set to his old music — Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality.” After entering the ring, Punk cut a short promo in the spirit of Rowdy Roddy Piper. “It’s as simple as this — just when they think they’ve got the answers, I change the culture. I’ll see you here next week.”
Punk long stated he was not interested in a return to WWE, but Backstage provides a certain amount of distance from the straight-edge superstar’s former workplace. “Originally, I thought [Backstage] was a WWE thing, so I was just like, ‘No.’ And [my agents] were like, ‘This is Fox.’ I’m not dealing with anybody in WWE,” Punk told Collider Live. “They want to have a show that recaps stuff, just like they do with NFL, just like NHL Network would do with hockey games.”
Following a foray into mixed martial arts, CM Punk starred in the horror film Girl on the Third Floor, which has been widely acclaimed by viewers. Punk recently stopped by Loudwire to chat about the film with director Travis Stevens, before sitting down for an episode of ‘Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?’
25 Awesome Celebrity Metalheads