Did WWE make a major change to RAW this week because of CM Punk?

Former WWE Champion CM Punk has been announced for tonight's episode of Monday Night RAW. He was recovering from a tricep injury that he suffered at Royal Rumble 2024. With WrestleMania 40 around the corner, it's interesting to have The Second City Saint return to the red show, even though he announced he won't be participating in WrestleMania 40.

Interestingly, WWE is reportedly aiming for a minimalist stage look for the Monday Night RAW scheduled at Allstate Arena in Chicago, which also happens to be Punk's hometown. This is the same approach that the Stamford-based promotion used at Survivor Series 2023, the premium live event where The Second City Saint made his return.

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Why did WWE change the venue setup at Allstate Arena?

The last time the WWE Universe gathered at Allstate Arena it was at Survivor Series 2023. Fans were already guessing that CM Punk would return during the event. However, WWE had only announced Randy Orton's return, keeping Punk's return a mystery. The demand for tickets had shot up, and the arena needed extra seating arrangements. As a result, WWE decreased the size of the stage to make it minimalistic.

Keeping the above in mind, this time Punk's return has already been announced. The current setup of the arena is for 15,022 seats, and over 14,000 tickets have already been sold. Considering the demand, WWE possibly decided to make a minimalist setup to accommodate the WWE Universe.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, Punk has already announced he won't be participating at WrestleMania 40. His return right before the premium live event is bound to raise curiosity. The top prediction is that he is going to make a bombshell announcement that will have an impact on the upcoming premium live event. The way WWE has been building the story for WrestleMania 40, it's justified why CM Punk's fans want to be at Allstate Arena tonight when he makes his return!

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CM Punk shared a cryptic message ahead of his return

Since he has been gone, a lot of changes have taken place in WWE. For example, The Rock returned, Seth Rollins & Cody Rhodes teamed up, and Drew McIntyre is set to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship, among others.

Now that he is coming back, Punk recently took to social media to hint at a new beginning of sorts, but the exact nature of it will only be known during the show. The star shared the mask of the 1985 film Friday The 13th: A New Beginning on his Instagram story.

Only time will tell what the message is hinting at.