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CM Punk recently shocked the world and made his blockbuster return to WWE at the Survivor Series WarGames 2023 Premium Live Event after being nearly a decade away from the company.
During his absence as well as his recent return, CM Punk has always been talked about by both the fans and those in the industry, with the Second City Saint being a divisive figure amongst many people.
With Punk now back in World Wrestling Entertainment, we are going to take a look at 4 times in which top WWE Superstars have called him out and referenced him on live television.
Corey Graves deleted his Tweet! More details HERE.
#4. The Scottish Warrior takes offence with Punk
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One performer who has gone under a recent change in attitude is Drew McIntyre. The former WWE Champion has started to blame all his misfortunes on others rather than himself.
This was further exhibited on RAW last night as Drew seemingly took a shot at CM Punk, venting his frustrations towards the returning star and the fans.
"Apparently you can get fired, released, leave, do what you want, come back to the company & you’re instantly forgiven these days," McIntyre said.
Following his departure from WWE in 2014, CM Punk took many shots at the company. Despite this, he was welcomed back with open arms.
#3. Cena blows his rival a goodbye kiss
Arguably, the most iconic moment of CM Punk's pro wrestling career took place at Money in the Bank Premium Live Event in 2011 in his hometown of Chicago, where he defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship for the first time.
The storyline in this match grabbed a lot of attention as he planned to leave the Stamford-based company as a champion and not re-sign. After winning the gold, Punk ran through the crowd with the gold as he blew Vince McMahon and WWE a kiss goodbye.
In 2021, Punk's opponent from Money in the Bank 2011, John Cena, referenced this iconic moment when speaking to Roman Reigns in the ring on an episode of SmackDown.
"Roman, you're gonna put on a hell of a show, but I'm just gonna hang in there for 1, 2, 3. And then I'm gonna take your title, jump the barricade and run out of Allegiant Stadium as fast as I can. I may even blow you a kiss goodbye," John Cena said. [H/T SEScoops]
Despite not having been in the company for almost a decade at that point, a reference such as this showed the impact that CM Punk has had on the business.
#2. WWE's top brass hails him a quitter
After leaving the Stamford-based company in 2014, the fans diverted a lot of their anger towards management as they blamed them for their mistreatment of CM Punk.
This would lead to fans wanting to hijack the show and chant Punk's name whenever Stephanie McMahon or Triple H were in the ring to deliver a promo.
Despite Punk being fired by WWE, Stephanie McMahon looked to alter the narrative of his departure when she delivered a promo in 2014 to a hoard of fans in Chicago, calling CM Punk a quitter.
"I always wonder, 'Why?'...Like, why do these people cheer for quitters? And I understand. It's because they can relate. Because they're quitters themselves. They would rather just quit when life gets tough. They would rather quit than fail, instead of digging in deep and fighting for what you believe in, you just...give up," Stephanie McMahon. [H/T Cageside Seats]
#1 - The Visionary takes a shot at The Straight Edge Superstar
Despite many people being happy to see CM Punk back in WWE, there is one top performer who seemingly does not want anything to do with him, and that is the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins.
Following Punk's return at Survivor Series WarGames 2023 in Chicago, Seth was irate in the ring while The Straight Edge Superstar soaked in the love of the fans while standing tall on the ramp.
The following Monday on RAW, while Seth was looking to move on to the next chapter in his career, the fans started chanting Punk's name, with Rollins taking a shot at the former WWE Champion.
"Get it out of your system because I’ll tell you what, I don’t want to spend one more second, one more ounce of energy on that hypocrite. So, instead of talking about someone who don’t matter at all, why don’t we talk about the thing that matters the most? Why don’t we talk about the title that for the last six months I’ve built into the most important championship in this entire industry," Rollins said. [H/T FOX News]
Although Rollins is currently not fazed by Punk's comeback, it seems inevitable that the two stars will collide at some point down the line.
What is your favorite CM Punk memory in WWE? Sound off in the comments section below!
