Punk joined AEW in 2021, making his return to wrestling after leaving WWE in 2024. He was suspended by the company for his role in Brawl Out after AEW All Out 2022, and then fired after a backstage incident at AEW All In 2023. He returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023.

CM Punk is known to drop a pipebomb here and there when he is on the mic. His infamous 2011 promo remains a work of art, and he has not lost a beat since his return to WWE in 2023.

After almost a decade away, why did CM Punk decide to return to WWE after his very public departure in 2014? Despite that, months after a fallout with AEW in 2023, Punk would make his shocking return to WWE at Survivor Series in his hometown of Chicago.