After stepping away from professional wrestling for nearly a decade, CM Punk made headlines when he returned in August 2021, signing with All Elite Wrestling. Having departed WWE in January 2014, Punk spent much of his time away being openly critical of the company and how it was run. His AEW run, which spanned just over two years, came to an abrupt end following a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at AEW All In 2023. That incident marked his second major backstage confrontation within a year, the first occurring after AEW All Out 2022.

Eventually, Punk made a highly anticipated return to WWE at Survivor Series 2023, a moment that sparked fresh discussions about his career trajectory and decision-making.

During an appearance on The Masked Man Show with David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide, Punk reflected on the circumstances that gave him the confidence to come back to WWE and how this return felt different than his previous exit.

"I had a conversation with Triple H on Thanksgiving. Immediately, I was like, 'This dude is taking time away from his daughters and wife and turkey to talk to me.' It's not a thing where they need this big superstar. They did not need to sign me. They were doing fine. I just think he, in a way, recognized that this is the right thing to do," Punk explained.

He went on to contrast the current regime with the previous leadership, highlighting how the mindset within WWE has evolved.

"Where prior administration would look at stuff and go, 'Nope, this is the way we're doing it because I said so.' Yeah, but if you did it this way, it's going to benefit this many more people and create... my big thing about part-timers back in the day was, they can come back and main event. I understand The Rock is box office compared to CM Punk in 2013. I understand that, but at some point, if you do not hand the baton to somebody else, Rock is not going to come back, and now there is nobody at that level."

Punk acknowledged the evolution of his relationship with Triple H, noting that what was once a combative dynamic has now transformed into mutual respect.

"That's kind of how I always viewed the business and I think me and Triple H always butt heads because we were too similar back then. We've grown and now I love working with the guy, it's great. I do not say for him, either, because I do not feel like I work for this guy. I feel like I come to work and it is more collaborative than anything it has ever been and I could not have seen that until I was actually in. I kind of took a gamble, whereas in 2021, when I came back, I went with the devil I did not know instead of the devil I knew," said Punk.

Now, Punk finds himself back in a prominent position within WWE and is set to headline WrestleMania 41 Saturday in a high-stakes triple threat match against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.