WWE News: CM Punk Return To WWE Not Happening On ‘SmackDown Live’ As Ex-Wrestler Trains For Second UFC Fight
The final SmackDown Live of 2016 is happening on December 27 in Chicago. But hometown hero CM Punk won’t be returning to the WWE by spoiling John Cena’s own return to the ring, as he had stated in a playful Twitter exchange earlier this week. Instead, he appears to be seriously training for what could be his second UFC fight.
Fans have been clamoring for it ever since he had walked out of WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble. Chants of “CM Punk!” can be heard whenever fans are witnessing a match they don’t like, and speculation on a potential return for the man who once held the WWE Championship for 434 straight days can often heat up, even up to now. But CM Punk has said he isn’t returning to the WWE under any circumstance, and he’s made that clear on many an occasion. Despite losing easily to unheralded Mickey Gall at UFC 203, Punk remains committed to mixed martial arts, and has seemingly put his pro wrestling days behind him.
Mickey Gall Doesn't Think CM Punk Should Fight Again in the UFC #MickeyGall #CMPunk #UFC https://t.co/JhHYo6kUuB pic.twitter.com/vZkcZlNfeC
— 411 Wrestling (@411wrestling) November 27, 2016
That was something Punk had underscored soon after his loss to Gall at UFC 203. Ringside News cited Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter in October, suggesting that a CM Punk WWE return would signify a “loss in life” for him.
“The thing with Punk is that, according to those close to Punk, he would see going back to WWE as a loss in life, where (Bill) Goldberg was just a businessman who had hard feelings about the past but would have no trouble letting them go if it was the right business.”
It took 12 years for Goldberg to put the past behind him and do business with WWE once again. And with almost three years removed from CM Punk’s last WWE appearance, it looks like the bad blood between both sides still remains. And it also seems as if Punk still couldn’t resist taking a dig at wrestling “dirt sheets,” or publications that specialize in WWE news and rumors.
yes of course. It's a huge secret though so kayfabe, briz.
— player/coach (@CMPunk) December 14, 2016
On Wednesday, a Twitter user asked Punk if he has plans to come back on the December 27 SmackDown Live to ruin John Cena’s return from a brief sabbatical, which WWE had confirmed on Tuesday night’s episode of the show, as the Inquisitr had reported. Punk sarcastically joked that it’s a “huge secret,” also asking the fan to “kayfabe,” or wrestling lingo for keeping the wrestling business secret from outsiders.
In effect, that serves as CM Punk’s way of saying a return to WWE is still not in the cards, and most likely a dig at the dirt sheets that often cite inside information on ex-WWE Superstars making “secret” returns to the company. And while it’s still theoretically possible that Punk and WWE may put their differences behind them at some point in the future, WrestlingNews.co wrote that this won’t be possible at the moment, due to a defamation lawsuit filed in 2015 by WWE doctor Chris Amann.
“While Punk did leave the company on very bad terms, it’s always a possibility that he returns to WWE in the future but I don’t see that happening while the lawsuit from WWE Dr. Chris Amann is active.”
Instead of ruining John Cena’s return, it would appear that CM Punk is getting ready for his own return to the UFC Octagon, should such an event come to fruition. 411Mania cited a PWInsider members-only article, which documented trainer Duke Roufus’ appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. Roufus told the respected MMA journalist that Punk is “training” for a second UFC fight, though he didn’t get into too much detail about prospective opponents or a tentative timeline for the fight.
It is indeed true that many wrestling fans will be very happy to see CM Punk return to WWE, and return to his regimen of cutting incendiary “pipe bombs,” or worked-shoot promos about the company and its business. But for the meantime, that’s the last thing on his mind, as he continues focusing on his non-wrestling pursuits, specifically his MMA career.
[Featured Image by WWE]
