Why CM Punk Was Backstage At WWE Raw, Explained

Hamish Woodward

CM Punk was spotted backstage at Monday Night Raw last night, leading to renewed speculation that the former AEW Champion could be returning to the WWE.

Punk has not been seen in a WWE ring since the 2014 Royal Rumble, when he entered first but was eliminated by Kane toward the end of the match.

This was supposed to begin a feud with the Authority, leading to a match with long-time rival Triple H at WrestleMania.

However, CM Punk walked out on the WWE the next night, leaving wrestling completely for the next seven years. You can read about why CM Punk left the WWE in 2014 by clicking this link below.

He returned to wrestling with AEW in 2021, although just one year later seemed out of the business again, following a calamitous bust-up with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

His last appearance in AEW was in September 2022, when he beat Jon Moxley at All Out 2022 to win his second AEW Championship title.

Given how much he was pushed and how big a star he is, it’s a shock to see CM Punk backstage at the WWE, in a place that, in his words, made him “sick”.

New details have emerged as to why CM Punk was backstage at WWE Raw, and have revealed who he went to meet backstage before being kicked out of the show.

Why Was CM Punk Backstage At Raw?

CM Punk was backstage at Raw to speak to Triple H and The Miz, in a shocking revelation.

The Chicago-native is famous for his long-running grudges toward the two men, with Triple H in particular drawing the bulk of his ire after leaving the WWE.

He name-dropped Hunter as one of the main reasons for him leaving the WWE in 2014, revealing that he rejected wrestling against Triple H in a huge match of WrestleMania 30.

CM Punk is reported to have spoken to Triple H, although the length of their discussions varied by source.

Some have claimed that they merely traded passing words, with The Game being incredibly busy running the entire show.

Others have claimed they had a long sit-down together, with many theorising that Punk wants to clear the air with those he felt wronged him, before his return to AEW.

He was also said to have spoken to The Miz backstage, after some heat between the two over the years had soured their relationship behind the scenes.

CM Punk spoke with The Miz for a short period of time and the two men “cleared the air” following some of their past issues.

The subject of the discussion was not mentioned, but is likely to be regarding the Tweet CM Punk sent to The Miz (below), about his participation in the WWE’s Saudi Arabia shows over the past 5 years.

CM Punk has also admittedly resented The Miz for main-eventing WrestleMania – something Punk never managed.

The Miz defeated John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 27, becoming the first heel ever to retain their belt in the last match on the show.

Meanwhile, in Punk’s prime years, he was beaten to the top spot by two Rock vs Cena matches, something that caused him bitterness to this day.

Punk was seen outside the arena with WWE Superstar Tamina, who presumably let him into the arena.

The former WWE Champion was spotted on video by one Twitter user speaking to the daughter of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, although no footage exists of his time inside the All-State Arena in Chicago.

You can watch the video of CM Punk outside Raw down below.

Many other WWE talents were said to have spoken to CM Punk backstage in the WWE, with him receiving a good reception from his former co-workers

However, he was kicked out of the arena by the head of security. This was allegedly due to him being an AEW talent, and not because of his conduct whilst at the site of last night’s show.

CM Punk also took a flight with the WWE talent, from Florida to Chicago.

“Apparently he flew from Florida to Chicago, on a flight with a lot of the talent” Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez said on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Talked to Paul Levesque – that was the main guy he talked to. Talked to a bunch of the talent and then was asked to leave”.

It Was A Publicity Stunt For AEW Return

While CM Punk being backstage at WWE was huge news, it’s likely not as big as it seems.

Many people believe the whole thing was one of two things.

  • 1. It was a publicity stunt for his return to AEW in June this year, for the new AEW Collision show.
  • 2. He was clearing the air and putting to bed some grudges he had held for over a decade.

The latter would be the nicest of the two options. After the All Out 2022 situation, it would be nice if Punk has matured and realised that it’s better to let go of his hate, instead of holding on to grudges for years and years.

CM Punk is set to return to AEW on the debut episode AEW Collision, which will be taking place in his hometown of Chicago.

You can read all about it, and the impending AEW Brand Split, by clicking the link down below.

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