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CM Punk is once again the talk of the town after being on two WWE shows within three days. Recent reports shed light on his status for the upcoming episode of SmackDown.
Punk recently returned to WWE after he left the company almost a decade ago. The 45-year-old made an appearance following the main event of Survivor Series: WarGames to send the Chicago crowd into a frenzy. Following the premium live event, the Best in the World showed up on RAW to greet the audience and let everyone know that he was officially back in WWE.
According to recent reports from PWInsider, CM Punk is not scheduled to appear on the upcoming edition of WWE's Friday Night show to be held in Brooklyn, New York. Interestingly, the former World Champion has not been assigned officially to any roster internally.
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"Punk is not currently scheduled for Smackdown this Friday in Brooklyn, NY. Punk has not been assigned officially to any roster internally," - PWInsider.
It should be noted that the other major Superstar who returned at the Chicago event, Randy Orton, has been announced for SmackDown. The Viper also defeated Dominik Mysterio in a singles match during the latest episode of Monday Night RAW.
Dutch Mantell believes CM Punk's return to WWE will affect AEW
Legendary wrestling manager and booker Dutch Mantell recently talked about how things might change for both WWE and AEW following Punk's shocking return to the Stamford-based company.
On a recent edition of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the 73-year-old talked about Punk's return to WWE after almost a decade. He believes that after the move, the difference in television ratings between the two companies would increase further. Mantell stated that the majority of wrestling fans would be interested in witnessing what WWE can do with CM Punk, as he believes that AEW was not able to extract the best out of him.
"I think they'll see a big difference because the majority of the fans, I think they want Punk there just to see what he's going to do because what he did in AEW, it wasn't anything really. It wasn't anything to write home about. So I think they're seeing what the top company can do with this guy and see if they involve some of his past and bring it back home," Dutch Mantell said.
What are your thoughts on Dutch Mantell's assessment of the condition? Sound off in the comments section below.
