Punk was back in a WWE ring for the 1st time in nearly 10 years
CM Punk returned to "Monday Night Raw" for the first time in nearly 10 years and addressed the WWE Universe following his shocking appearance at "Survivor Series: War Games" over the weekend.
Punk grabbed the live microphone as chants of his name rang out inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and said, "Looks like hell froze over." It had been a very long time since Punk addressed the WWE fans on a WWE show. He said it himself that he was surprised they were cheering for a Chicago Blackhawks fan in Nashville Predators territory.
Then Punk got down to brass tacks.
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CM Punk makes a shocking return to WWE on Nov. 25, 2023. (WWE)
"Once upon a time, an American Dream once taught me that as long as you speak from the heart, you cannot go wrong because it is the truth. And this is the truth," Punk said, "I’m home."
Punk said the reaction in the locker room had been overwhelmingly positive aside from a few.
"Everyone has welcomed me back with open arms," he said as he smirked into the camera. "Well, almost everybody. Some people are afraid. They’re afraid of the truth. They’re afraid of what they don’t understand. But I understand. Everything I’ve ever wanted has always been here. The competition here, week in and week out, competes to be the best in the world.
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CM Punk visits the #IMDboat At San Diego Comic-Con 2022: Day Three on The IMDb Yacht on July 23, 2022 in San Diego. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for IMDb)
"But the best in the world has not been here for almost 10 years. I understand being afraid. They’re afraid I just set the bar to an unattainable level. They’re afraid that the brass ring is in my back pocket, and they can’t grab it. They’re afraid that the most dangerous and controversial feared man in this industry just walked through the front door and there’s nothing that they can do about it.
"Some people are afraid that tomorrow morning when they wake up they’re gonna have to come to terms with the fact that they’re best efforts at being the best in the world in this ring, on this microphone even at commentary isn’t just false but it’s a lie because the best in the world is back and the best in the world is standing in the middle of the ring live and in living color in Nashville, Tennessee, on a Monday night and his name is … (CM Punk)."
As "RAW" went off the air, he looked into the camera and said, "I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make money."
It is unclear what’s next for Punk, but a feud with Seth Rollins appears to be on the horizon. The World Heavyweight Champion called Punk a "hypocrite" for returning earlier in the night.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
