CM Punk was backstage at WWE Monday Night Raw in Chicago on Monday, per multiple reports. Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez reports that he was asked to leave by WWE’s head of security Jim Kelly.
Vince McMahon reportedly was the one that sent the order for Punk to be removed from the building. Punk left without incident, according to Fightful Select. PWinsider was the first to report the news.
There is a video of Punk surfacing that depicts him meeting WWE superstar Tamina in the parking lot of the Allstate Arena. There are reports that Punk had also met with Triple H, but that has not been confirmed.
Punk, who was most recently featured on AEW programming as a two-time AEW World Heavyweight Champion, has not wrestled since September after he was suspended due to an altercation backstage involving Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and other prominent figures in the company.
The same report from Fightful Select notes that AEW and WWE talent alike were shocked to hear him backstage despite working with the company for several years.
CM Punk has not appeared on WWE television since January 2014. His last match saw him be eliminated from the 2014 Royal Rumble. He infamously stayed away from the business for seven long years. He finally made the most highly anticipated return in professional wrestling history in August of 2021.
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From Ring of Honor, to WWE, the UFC and finally in AEW, Punk has been a draw wherever he’s been. The UFC run ended poorly, but Punk has been a world champion in every promotion he’s been in inside the professional wresting world.
Punk infamously accepted his WWE developmental contract in 2005 while he was ROH World Champion. He turned heel after signing with WWE while finishing up his Ring of Honor dates. Punk threatened in storyline that he would take the belt with him to the big leagues if no one could defeat him. He went as far as to sign his WWE contract on the ROH title itself.
The ‘Summer of Punk’ ended after he dropped the belt to James Gibson, better known as WWE superstar Jamie Noble, in a four-corner elimination match featuring Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels.
Punk went on to be one of the best to ever do it while in his WWE run. He held the WWE Championship for 434 days before dropping the belt to The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble. It is recognized as the second longest world championship reign in modern WWE history (post 1988). He tails only current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who is currently on track to pass 1,000 days.
After leaving the business for seven long years, he returned on an episode of AEW Rampage in his hometown of Chicago. He went on to win the AEW World Heavyweight Championship two times, most recently in September 2022. His status with the company, especially after Monday’s incident, is up in the air as of this report.
