CM Punk Opens Up About Being 'Ghosted' In Previous Efforts To Return To WWE

CM Punk and Rhea Ripley recently made a joint appearance on "My Mom's Basement with Robbie Fox" to promote the upcoming two-night WWE SummerSlam, with the podcast covering topics ranging from past matches and ring gear to the upcoming Netflix series "WWE Unreal." Punk was asked about a moment in the reality show when Paul "Triple H" Levesque revealed that there were conversations between Punk and WWE in the years between his 2014 departure and 2024 return.

While he wasn't eager to divulge too many details from those talks, Punk acknowledged that he met with Levesque and Vince McMahon sometime in 2018 or 2019, around the time "WWE Backstage" was being developed. According to Punk, McMahon badly wanted him to return to WWE. Though he wasn't initially interested, Punk was eventually convinced, leading to a handshake agreement. However, Punk said the company then "ghosted" him, though he ended up working on "Backstage" through Fox.

Despite having some misgivings, Punk took part in "Unreal" and plays a substantial role in the show. Among the scenes fans can expect to see in the first episode is Ripley learning the severity of her 2024 shoulder injury, with Punk entering the room to offer some words of encouragement. In the interview, he revealed that he has mixed feelings on the revealing nature of the series.

"There's a lot of stuff that I feel like is just for us," Punk said, referring to wrestlers as a whole. "There's a lot of things that I don't necessarily want to share with fans. It's no different than being in the Stanley Cup finals and not letting cameras in the room. It's no different than playing a World Series game and certain people don't get access. I kind of want to protect that part."