Has to return before the PPV goes off the air. Does not have to wrestle. Has to appear on their TV or Premium Live Event. He can appear as an announcer, in the crowd, etc. OLD CLIPS DO NOT COUNT, even though that would also make an interesting market by itself.
1,000
3.00@TiredCliche Give credit where it's due, Paul even put up the copyright logo, which is usually the end of the show, before we saw Phil. Very well done. Got mileage out of Randy AND CM Punk.
@BDStraw I hate to see what's about to happen to you in this market happen to a Manifold-friend. There is a reason Cody never said Randy Orton's name.
@BDStraw TNA cannot afford CM Punk, but making it seem like you have other options is a good way to be attractive. That I can tell you.
@BDStraw WWE isn't taking Ace Steel. CMP should get a short term deal. It is leaving money on the table not to have Punk put Roman Reigns over before WM.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/17598cq/wor_wwe_have_decided_not_to_hire_cm_punk/
Could be misdirection, and I'm sure we'll hear a million conflicting reports between now and royal rumble. But if Punk doesn't come back at survivor series, I don't see where and why he comes back before wrestlemania. Rumble specifically would be a bad idea because he'd overshadow whatever plan they want to set in motion for WM (and there is no way WWE has the balls to make CM Punk a primary feature of their first WM as Endeavor).
If we set the conflicting reports aside, there is not a 75% chance Punk comes back. This is a public company who in the wake of the Vince scandal doesn't want bad press. And I'm not talking about locker room drama, I'm talking about lawsuits etc.. Nakamura doing a GTS doesn't outweigh these factors for me.
@BDStraw I intentionally used RR, because he could easily come back as a surprise RR entrant.
There is also a decent chance he comes back at SS, which is in Chicago.
I think they are feeding Meltzer bad info to keep the surprise.
Punk wasn't a good fighter in UFC, but he was a draw.
Punk will come in, draw, AND put over everyone in WWE, while being the undefeated AEW World Champ.
It is wrestling malpractice not to bring him back. Only wrench in the works could be if Phil is too greedy. At his age, he shouldn't make this mistake. This is his last chance for a run. He has to make up that Chris Amman money!
@FrederickNorris Both Meltzer and SRS have reported he’s not coming back. I totally get the “bad info for the sake of surprise” angle. Where we disagree is you saying he will put over everyone in WWE… that’s not like egomaniac Punk now is it… and wouldn’t support a narrative that he’s getting back at AEW if he keeps eating pins.
The financial angle is a good one but like, of course I agree Punk wants to go back, the question is what are the chances WWE is interested. He’s a draw and could come back eventually, but I don’t see them as desperate enough for an additional draw to take the risk.
My feeling is 20% he’s at survivor series, 13 he’s back between survivor series and rumble, 47 he’s back at some future point after rumble, 20 HHH says I got 2 words for ya and he never comes back.
@BDStraw In the Vince days, the worse you treated him, the more likely he was to take you back.
I remember someone saying (Cornette?) that Bobby Heenan never said a bad word about WWE, ever, and they refused to take him back.
I do think Punk realizes he's in the twilight of his career, and would put over Roman, Walter, Cody, big name stars, which is who he should be putting over. Punk has to thinking about money, not his Cagematch stats.
It is just so obvious that it makes sense for business, I can't believe it wouldn't happen. I guess we'll see!