Backstage News On CM Punk's WWE Deal & Return

The roof came off Chicago's Allstate Arena Saturday night at WWE Survivor Series when, just as his fans had finally given up hope, CM Punk's music hit to close the show, and the long-estranged former AEW star returned to the company he walked out almost a decade ago. While Punk's comeback was kept firmly under wraps heading into the event, reports began to come out in the immediate aftermath that shed a bit of light on how this actually happened — and what happens now.

According to PWInsider, the talks that heralded Punk's return only began last week, and the deal itself, which is believed to be "several years in length," was made official on Saturday prior to the show, a timeline that roughly aligns with comments made by WWE Chief Creative Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque in the post-show press conference. PWI claims there were conversations about holding off on the big moment until the Royal Rumble — which makes sense given that there was no natural place for Punk on the Survivor Series card and the Rumble is an inherently natural place for a big return — but ultimately decided that the longer they waited, the better chance there was that word would leak, prompting the company to bring Punk back immediately in his home city.

As for Punk's future, PWI's report says he will be wrestling, but speculates that he might not be on a full-time schedule, though that has not been confirmed. Beyond that, details are slim so far, but WWE sources indicated to PWI that the company is looking at the deal as a "new beginning" for Punk and WWE.