CM Punk opens up about how his shocking return at WWE Survivor Series came together.
Speaking on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, CM Punk was asked to describe when the ball started rolling for his return to the company.
“Slight percentages I think over the years start that ball rolling, but to really get in, the action of it started the week of I think Thanksgiving, maybe. I’d have to look at a calendar to figure out dates exactly. I remember times and places of where I was, when I could get phone calls and such.
“I had a CFFC show coming up, I think, so I got a call from Nick Khan, and he was just like, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you.’ I was like, ‘Cool. On my way to the gym and I got this coming up.’ Cool, you want to talk Monday? Great. So it was the week of Thanksgiving, Monday, spoke to him.”
CM Punk Didn’t Have A Non-Compete Clause
CM Punk was then asked to look back on that call. He noted that WWE wanted him to appear at WWE Royal Rumble because they figured he had a non-compete clause, but he did not.
“I think the call, I’m always so nervous about pulling the curtain back on stuff. But I think the call was more of a, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you about coming back. We’d love you for Royal Rumble.’ Because they assumed that I probably had some sort of a non-compete or something like that, and were kind of floored when I was like, ‘No, I’m ready to go. Let’s do it.’
“[Helwani asked if he ever had a non-compete] No. [Helwani asked if he could have signed the next day]. Yeah, and Nick said, ‘I really said I knew that.’ [Laughs] Sorry, man. I didn’t call or tell anybody. I just kind of laid low for a minute.”
CM Punk On Getting A Deal Done, Talking To Triple H
Ariel Hekwnai then asked Punk to describe how long the deal took, and he stated that it took every day. He noted that it ramped up once he talked to Triple H, and he looked back on that conversation.
“I mean, every single minute of all those days,” CM Punk said. “It really ramped up. It was like, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you about coming back.’ Okay, this is how I feel. ‘Okay, great.’ I’d really love to talk to Triple H, and it’s funny because everybody calls him Paul. I always call him Triple H or Hunter, that is what it is. When I spoke to him, that’s when the ball really got rolling.
“I asked him if he wanted to talk on the phone, he said, ‘No, I would actually like to FaceTime you so I can see you.’ I was like, oh, that’s interesting. And we just talked about a whole lot of stuff, about stuff that was at one point serious to probably both of us, but it’s silly now, and we laughed and buried the hatchet. Then we started talking business.”
Punk then noted that it all got done very fast. When Helwani asked whether the conversation with Triple H had to happen for his return to proceed, Punk noted that it may not have been crucial, but it was still important.
“I think there’s a world where it very much didn’t have to happen, but I think we’re both men,” CM Punk said. “I think we’re both gonna talk about stuff, especially when it comes to business. But I do think it was important knowing where we wanted to go, to talk about stuff and get it all out of the way.”
CM Punk On When He Signed A Contract
CM Punk was also asked if he signed a contract after he appeared at WWE Survivor Series, and he emphasized that he signed a deal right before he went out to the stage.
“No, they would never… I don’t think they would ever allow me to even be on television without signing somethin,” CM Punk said. “Literally, on the phone with the…, ‘Okay, alright, sign, go.’ I signed and then walked into Gorilla. It was like the most crowded elevator, and everyone just turns and looks, and jaws drop on the floor, and people are like, ‘What?’ And the world saw what came next.
Punk made it clear that he did not tell anyone other than his family, given how quickly it all came together.
CM Punk On Nick Khan
Punk joked that Nick Khan had been trying to get him back in WWE since he left. Helwani notes that the timelines don’t exactly match, but Punk noted how they were both with CAA (Khan as an agent, Punk as a client).
Helwani said the story is that Khan helped FOX get the rights to SmackDown in 2020, then he asked Punk if he’d be back in WWE if Khan was not in charge there.
“Probably not,” Punk said.
“He was the difference maker,” Helwani replied.
“I think so. Just in regards to having a conversation, which I was never adverse to.”
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