CM Punk Opens Up About Chaotic WWE Return at Survivor Series 2023

November 25, 2023, was anything but an ordinary day for CM Punk. In fact, calling it chaotic would barely scratch the surface.

On this date, CM Punk made his highly anticipated return to WWE at the Survivor Series premium live event in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. The event took place at the Allstate Arena, and Punk’s comeback had the wrestling world buzzing.

During his appearance on the debut episode of the No-Contest Wrestling podcast with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson, “The Second City Saint” reflected on the whirlwind of events leading up to his unexpected return at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2023.

Interestingly, Punk revealed in an interview, that when he arrived at the venue on November 25, he hadn’t even signed his contract yet. The deal was finalized just moments before his entrance, while he was waiting in Gorilla position for his cue to shock the WWE Universe and millions of wrestling fans watching at home.

Punk also shared some of the touching reunions he experienced with friends and colleagues he hadn’t seen in years, including Bayley, William Regal, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque.

"I don’t think people knew," Punk began. "I think they were piled in [Gorilla position] because it’s the end of the show and social media people are filming winners and losers coming through the curtain. I remember being in Gorilla, and all of a sudden, I get bear-hugged from behind. I turn around to see who it is, and it’s Bayley. She’s like, ‘I f**king knew it! As soon as they started yelling at us to clear the hallway … I knew it!’ She’s not letting go of me. Triple H is there [and] Stephanie [McMahon], I remember seeing and having a moment with. Somebody I haven’t seen in ten years [and] somebody where people are like, ‘They hate each other,’ [William] Regal. I remember looking at Regal and him going [makes curious facial expression]. ‘Look at us.’ There were so many people in there.”

Punk also described the chaotic moments just before his reappearance, which included a frantic Triple H trying to manage the situation.

"I don’t know what to do. I lose my composure. All I know is I’m coming out [and] I’m trying to talk to Triple H over the table, and it’s so loud. They hit my music [and I say] ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. What am I doing?’ He’s like, ‘Go walk to the cage.’ ‘All the way down to the cage?’ He was trying to tell me there were the two cages for babyfaces and heels for WarGames. He wanted me to walk down and stand there. In my head, I’m going all the way to the cage. We’re going back and forth and freaking out. He rips his headset off, ‘What are we doing?!’ Obviously, we figured it out.”