WWE commemorates CM Punk's return with behind-the-scenes video: 'Happy you're here'

WWE prima CM Punk made his instrumentality to the institution 1 twelvemonth agone Monday and the institution enactment unneurotic a video showing the behind-the-scenes reactions and interactions with him.

It had been a decennary since Punk near WWE, walking retired of the institution aft disagreements with then-CEO Vince McMahon and main contented serviceman Paul "Triple H" Levesque.

Punk did his ain happening for rather a while. He gave MMA a effort – successful the cage and successful the broadcast booth. He returned to pro wrestling successful 2021 with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and had 2 tumultuous years there. He departed AEW successful September 2023.

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CM Punk reacts during the Men’s Royal Rumble lucifer astatine Tropicana Field successful St. Petersburg, Florida, connected Jan. 27, 2024. (Joe Camporeale-USA Today Sports)

Two months later, helium showed up pursuing the extremity of Survivor Series: War Games successful Chicago – his hometown. It was 1 of the astir shocking surprises successful caller memory. Rumors ran rampant successful the days and weeks starring into the premium unrecorded event, but each thought was met with skepticism. Until, arsenic Levesque enactment it astatine the time, hellhole froze over.

The WWE video showed Punk entering the Gorilla Position backstage with enforcement Bruce Prichard. He greeted Stephanie McMahon and others earlier helium received his cue to spell retired to the thunderous applause.

Fellow WWE stars watched the infinitesimal backstage. Wrestlers Bayley and Shotzi were among those surprised.

"What a mode to bash it," Shotzi said.

Bayley ran to Gorilla Position to greet her longtime person erstwhile helium returned from the stage.

"I’m truthful blessed you’re here," she said.

Punk greeted astir everyone who walked retired from the men’s War Games match, including Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Randy Orton.

Orton besides made his instrumentality to the WWE connected the aforesaid night.

CM Punk makes a shocking instrumentality to WWE connected Nov. 25, 2023. (WWE)

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"Can I not bask 10 minutes of my f---ing return," Orton said with a smile.

The video didn’t amusement Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre’s reactions to Punk’s return. Neither wrestler appeared to beryllium blessed to spot Punk backmost successful WWE. While pro wrestlers are bully astatine blurring the lines oregon world and storyline angles, some admit the real-life tensions they’ve had with Punk successful the past.

McIntyre told Fox News Digital successful October that their issues were precise existent but had to enactment concern first.

"You tin consciousness the tension," helium said. "Everyone could consciousness the hostility erstwhile him and I are adjacent each other. We person to beryllium professionals and bash our job. We understand, we’ve been doing this a agelong time, that existent idiosyncratic issues, existent hatred draws money. We besides cognize erstwhile that doorbell rings, we tin truly thin into each other. None of america are going to kick and erstwhile we’re connected the microphone, we tin spot however we feel. Both of america person heavy skin, dissimilar a batch of our superstars – they privation to outcry whenever I tweet astir them. I bash admit that astir them.

"But you tin consciousness the hostility erstwhile we’re around. And I retrieve there was immoderate picture that came retired online recently, and it was the large speech of the net due to the fact that Punk and I were adjacent to each different during the day, and it was, ‘Oh my God they truly don’t dislike each other.’ I was like, yeah, you frickin’ idiots. You don’t spell to your bureau occupation and person to basal beside the feline you don’t similar successful your bureau occasionally conscionable due to the fact that idiosyncratic snapped a representation of that infinitesimal due to the fact that we’re dealing with a concern you person to woody with successful your assemblage adjacent if you can’t basal the p----."

Punk’s WWE instrumentality started with the McIntyre feud. It began astatine the Royal Rumble successful January erstwhile McIntyre tore Punk’s triceps performing a determination connected him. From there, Punk tormented McIntyre and adjacent outgo him his little World Heavyweight Championship reign astatine WrestleMania 40.

CM Punk eliminates Dominik Mysterio during the Men’s Royal Rumble lucifer astatine Tropicana Field successful St. Petersburg connected Jan. 27, 2024. (Joe Camporeale-USA Today Sports)

Their rivalry culminated successful an epic trilogy that ended successful a bloody Hell successful a Cell match, which Punk won.

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He had been disconnected TV for a fewer weeks pursuing the match. He returned to the fold this past Friday connected SmackDown and enactment himself into the War Games lucifer betwixt Bloodline rivals.

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