Dave Meltzer Reports One Thing Could Bring About CM Punk's Return To WWE

With Survivor Series 2023 in Chicago this month, and CM Punk's abrupt AEW departure, there has been much speculation that the stars have aligned for the "Second City Saint" to return to WWE. In this week's "Wrestling Observer Newsletter", Dave Meltzer indicated that every rumor floating around has been denied, namely ones that claim Punk to have had a meeting with the board of directors. He further reported that creative has not been informed of anything Punk-related, and those who would normally be in the know have heard nothing. It's worth noting that this dispels rumors surrounding his arrival, but that isn't to say he definitely won't return. 

Meltzer further wrote that he had been told that WWE said no to CM Punk — as previously reported — but that was in talks with his reps, not face-to-face. He speculated that circumstances may change that decision if they were looking to drum up business or cater to fan demand. But perhaps the most interesting of the circumstances he speculated was if WWE smelled proverbial blood in the water when it comes to AEW; they could use CM Punk as their "shark response". 

There were supposedly chants for Punk at Crown Jewel and at "WWE Raw", which Meltzer said he had been told could actually be a negative. The reasoning is that WWE may not risk signing Punk when chants are loud, only to have his actual arrival underwhelm and fail to translate into business. It was reiterated by Meltzer several times throughout his report that the decision largely comes down to fan demand. If there is enough of it, then the decision may change, but until then chances are looking slim.