By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW star CM Punk was backstage earlier today at the WWE Raw event in Chicago, Illinois at Allstate Arena. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reports that Punk visited with several wrestlers and spoke briefly with Paul Levesque. Johnson added that Punk was eventually asked to leave the building, presumably due to being under contract to AEW.
Powell’s POV: It’s cool that Punk ripped off the Band-Aid by simply showing up unannounced after all the years of friction between him and the company. That said, it’s also understandable that Punk was asked to leave the building given his contract status with AEW.
To put it mildly, CM Punk is one odd duck.
With his purportedly impending AEW return, I don’t know if this is a genius move to get people talking, or a bonehead move that will hurt him. Then again, maybe he is looking to get out of AEW.
I don’t think this means he’s interested in being back in the WWE at all. I think he was just there to visit some wrestlers he’s close to. I know Cora Jade had a dark match, so he probably wanted to support her and some other wrestlers he’s still close to that work in the company.
Punk is supposed to return this June to AEW when they head to Chicago before Forbidden Door.
Perhaps I’ve missed something, but I haven’t seen anyone suggest that this is a sign that Punk wants to return to WWE. It’s an interesting story because he actually visited backstage at a WWE event for the first time since the lawsuit and all of the drama that surrounded his exit from the company. It’s nice to see that the ice has been broken.