MR. TITO: 1 Year Later, Was It Worth WWE Bringing Back CM Punk or AEW Releasing Him?

One year ago, on November 25th, 2023, CM Punk made a surprise return to the WWE. While everyone sensed he could return, provided that WWE Survivor Series 2023 paid live event (PLE) was in Chicago, there was an uncertainty. After all, CM Punk’s exit from the WWE during January 2014 didn’t go over well and part of Punk’s issue exiting the WWE, back then, was particularly with Triple H. That, and his AEW run didn’t end well following the events of AEW All In 2023.

One year later, however, and CM Punk is about to join the OG Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Usos, & Sami Zayn with Paul Heyman managing) against the “NEW” Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Bronson Reed, Jacob Fatu, & Haku brothers) in the MAIN EVENT of WWE Survivor Series 2024.

Overall, CM Punk has been a model citizen in the WWE, has had ZERO backstage incidents, has been willing to do with what WWE Creative or Triple H request of him, and has produced great cooperated matches throughout 2024. I would argue that CM Punk used his star-power to help elevate Drew McIntyre, too, through a series of great matches. Drew found his true wrestling personality and character working with Punk, too, as that’s the BEST version of Drew that we’ve ever seen. Together, they added onto the money pile that was already growing for WWE.

Meanwhile, at All Elite Wrestling, it’s been a bit rough to say the least. Here are AEW’s viewership numbers since All In 2023 (yes, I understand that Punk wrestled on Collision, but Dynamite is their primary show):

8-2023 871,000
9-2023 903,500 +32500
10-2023 826,750 (-76750)
11-2023 830,600 +3850
12-2023 817,750 (-12850)
1-2024 829,600 +11850
2-2024 809,750 (-19850)
3-2024 775,000 (-34750)
4-2024 741,750 (-33250)
5-2024 734,600 (-7150)
6-2024 637,750 (-96850)
7-2024 697,000 +59250
8-2024 688,000 (-9000)
9-2024 696,250 +8250
10-2024 617,400 (-78850)
11-2024 640,000 +22600

Since CM Punk left following August 27th, 2023, I estimate that AEW is lost roughly 230,000 viewers. Now, is that all about CM Punk leaving and could that 230,000 be all CM Punk fans?

No, but I believe it’s a picture of a bigger picture for AEW… TRUST. Wrestling fans DO NOT trust Tony Khan and his Executive Team (Young Bucks in particular) with a wrestling promotion. You could bring in top superstars from the WWE (Edge & Sasha Banks) or New Japan (Will Ospreay, Okada), and it just didn’t matter. TRUST was eroded from AEW and in turn, caused AEW’s business model to decline. Viewership was down, Pay Per View buys declined year-over-year, and the bottom has completely fell out of merchandise sales. AEW returned to Wembley Stadium and drew marginally less than the year before.

Meanwhile, CM Punk joins an already growing WWE locker room which was freeing itself permanently from Vince McMahon (though he’d later return, but soon exit the company due to bad sexual allegations once sponsors threatened WWE)… The environment became nurturing to talent under Triple H, and Triple H himself has improved as a backstage manager and father figure to many wrestlers. Triple H has become more trusting himself backstage and wrestlers, along with other backstage leaders who were previously fearful of Vince, are now empowered do more and succeed within the WWE ranks.

Going back to 2005-2014, that wasn’t the case with Triple H. While the latter half of this timeframe featured Triple H wrestling LESS and focusing MORE on being a backstage executive, the competitive side of Triple H, as a wrestler, was still there. Even though he was supposed to be helping the WWE, Triple H as a competitive wrestler wasn’t always fair to his fellow wrestlers in the locker room. He took exception with CM Punk, who was different from the rest of the WWE wrestlers based on how he trained and clawed through the independent promotions. As Jim Ross has confirmed from production meetings, HHH called Punk “skinny fat” regarding his physique as if he was inferior from the rest of the jacked, natural or synthetic, wrestlers on the roster during the late 2000s.

Then, things got worse during 2011 when CM Punk regularly mocked Triple H in his various promos. Punk called Triple H as “doofus son in law” during the infamous Pipebomb promo before Money in the Bank 2011, while later mocking Triple H for his failing movie career attempts. When it came time for CM Punk and Triple H to feud through September 2011, Kevin Nash CONFIRMED on his “Kliq This” podcast that Triple H did, in fact, bury him with their one-on-one match on Pay Per View. Then, Punk would go on to repeatedly lose at the following Pay Per Views, including against Miz and R-Truth when he actually tagged up with Triple H.

Fast forward to early 2014, CM Punk vs. Triple H was going to be scheduled for Wrestlemania 30 but not as the main event of the show. Punk, since 2011, wanted to be in the Wrestlemania main event yet was repeatedly denied for both 2012 and 2013 when Cena and the Rock headlined both of those shows. For 2014, with Batista returning, the main event of Wrestlemania 30 was penciled in as Randy Orton vs. Batista. Punk had enough of the false promises of headlining Wrestlemania and revolted… He quit on the RAW following Royal Rumble 2014 and reportedly had a heated meeting with Vince McMahon and Triple H on the way out. Reportedly, Triple H said that his match with Punk was a “co-main event” and Punk rejected that idea because it didn’t officially end the show. Punk was also reportedly upset about Daniel Bryan’s depushing from late 2013 and early 2014, too. WWE opted to terminate CM Punk on his wedding day to AJ Lee, which was taken personally by Punk, a move in which Vince McMahon is quoted as regretting.

CM Punk completely burned down the WWE bridge with his November 2014 Colt Cabana podcast discussion of these WWE events. This sent shockwaves and pretty much confirmed that Punk wasn’t coming back to either WWE or pro wrestling (no AEW back then). WWE’s medical physician sued both Punk and Cabana for defamation, which caused legal fees to mount up for both individuals. Then, a dispute between Punk and Cabana arose, as Cabana felt that the more financially secure Punk would help him cover Colt’s legal bills. This financial dispute between the two ceased their friendship and set the stage for trouble in AEW during 2022 with Colt Cabana working for AEW/ROH and being close friends with the Young Bucks and their clique.

CM Punk, between January 2014 and August 2021, did not work for any wrestling promotions (a few surprise appearances). He fought for the UFC twice, though, which was a lifelong dream of his as a big MMA fan. Then, during late 2019, FOX hired CM Punk as an analyst for their WWE Backstage show on FOX Sports 1 but that show didn’t last thanks to the looming pandemic for 2020 and the show being on Fox Sports 1, a very unsuccessful sports network.

When AEW was forming during early 2019, CM Punk was inquired via text message by the Young Bucks and I think Cody to join the company. He was put off by this, as it wasn’t a formal way to ask someone to return to pro wrestling. Keep that in mind, as that friction with the Young Bucks would bubble back up. Then, through 2021, Tony Khan began making formal requests for CM Punk to return and likely offered a nice pile of money to do so. Punk signed and made his AEW debut at AEW Rampage which happened to be held in Chicago on a Friday night. That show shot past 1 million viewers thanks to his AEW debut and AEW was off and running. They hit their first $1 million gate, thanks to Punk being on the card, and their viewership for Dynamite increased as well. AEW finally had that first big free agent to put them over the top.

Then as 2022 came along, so did the jealousy… The Young Bucks began spreading their gossip to wrestling insiders and those who are willing to parrot their message. Furthermore, they induced Adam “Hangman” Page to break character on an episode of AEW Dynamite to refer to not paying the legal bills of former friend Colt Cabana and causing him to lose his AEW job (when in reality, he was just moved to Ring of Honor BUT no indication that Punk requested it). Months later when CM Punk returned from an injury, he decided to go unscripted and just thrashed Adam Page on the microphone for going off-script. From that, everyone thought it was over…

But then, more gossip about Punk causing Colt Cabana to lose his AEW job kept coming out… So, CM Punk had enough and following the AEW All Out 2022 event at the media scrum, he attacked. “I work with children”, as Punk called out the Bucks for spreading gossip and Page for helping to spread that gossip all while sitting next to a cringing Tony Khan. After that media scrum, Punk went back to his locker room where he was eventually confronted by the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Bucks appeared to be leading the way, bringing Omega and 2 flunky wrestlers along with other AEW officials. Now, whether the door was knocked on and entered in normally or kicked in has been a matter of debate, as has how the Bucks walked in. Either way, CM Punk began throwing punches at both of them while Punk’s friend, Ace Steel, joined the fight and not only bit Omega’s arm but threw a chair at one of the bucks! Any AEW wrestler or official that was involved in that backstage fight were suspended (soon lifted) while Punk had a torn bicep that required time off to heal (no suspension).

For the rest of 2022 and then for the first half of 2023, we wondered if CM Punk would ever return to AEW or not. Personally for me, I wondered if that would happen when the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Adam Page each got new deals to start 2023. Then, Warner Bros Discovery wanted to give AEW another show and requested that CM Punk be on it. Hence why Punk was brought back… Punk had some control over the show and blocked it from allowing the Bucks or any close friend of them to appear on that show. The friction was there heading into All In 2023 at Wembley Stadium, which should have been a crown jewel moment for AEW. Instead, things got out of hand… A week before, Jack “Jungleboy” Perry wanted to do a spot where he’d go through a car windshield and after multiple AEW officials told him it was a bad idea, they asked him to speak to CM Punk. Punk also advised it was a bad idea. Instead of calling out the AEW officials who didn’t want Perry to go through a windshield at AEW All In, Perry called out CM Punk specifically about that windshield spot. After Perry’s match, CM Punk confronted Perry about it and that led to Punk shoving Perry in the face and then holding him in a front facelock. After that was broken up, Punk lunged and yelled at Tony Khan, who was sitting behind the production desk, about this incident and his promotion. 1 week later, Punk was terminated openly by Tony Khan on stage in front of a televised crowd.

Punk was a free agent, but for 2 months, he did nothing while stories and witness account of the backstage fight with Perry came out. Then, the WWE inquired Punk about his contractual status and they were SHOCKED that he was a 100% free agent. Talks began and by Survivor Series 2023, 1 year ago, some quick contract negotiations were held (lots of overtime for lawyers!) and Punk appeared at the tail end of WWE Survivor Series 2023 to the SHOCK of wrestling fans and WWE wrestlers. At the end of the show, you could see Seth Rollins being legitimately pissed off that he was back and placed at the tail end of the great main event Wargames match that he just wrestled.

So think about this, folks… I just presented you all of the evidence for you to consider:

(a) Triple H had friction with CM Punk as a fellow wrestler and backstage manager during the late 2000s and early 2010s.

(b) CM Punk abruptly left WWE following Royal Rumble 2014 with a heated meeting with HHH and Vince McMahon.

(c) WWE officially terminated CM Punk on his wedding day.

(d) CM Punk shot hard on the WWE during his November 2014 podcast with Colt Cabana.

(e) WWE’s physician sued CM Punk for defamation (lost, but it cost Punk legal fees and his friendship with Colt Cabana)

(f) Joins AEW during August 2021, a competitor of WWE. Badmouths the WWE at that time…

(g) Backstage troubles with Young Bucks during 2022 that caused unscripted moments on AEW shows and the media scrum following All Out 2022. Then, the backstage brawl between Punk and the Bucks.

(h) Punk returns, but is on a separate Saturday AEW show that excludes the Bucks and their friends.

(i) Jack Perry fight backstage at Wembley during All In 2023.

ON TOP OF THAT, sometimes, CM Punk is a little difficult to deal with… Hence why both Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre had legitimate heat with CM Punk and his return to the WWE. Randy Orton reported had some heat with CM Punk before their Wrestlemania 27 match-up, too. The way Punk entered and worked through the business was different than what other wrestlers did and that creates friction. Secondly, CM Punk was burned out for his last WWE run, especially 2012-2014 where the travel, multiple injuries, rougher opponents (Ryback), and false promises made got to him. Hence why younger wrestlers like Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre probably didn’t have great experiences dealing with Punk back then.

But then, I’ll make this argument…

CM Punk is straight-edge and if you don’t know what that means, it’s a person who complete abstains from any mind-altering drugs or alcohol of any nature. Folks, I’m here to tell you and admit that I’m straight-edge. I’m vehemently anti-drug and anti-alcohol, just like Punk… Therefore, I have nothing chemically to “take the edge off” just like CM Punk. There’s NO CHILL for us, as we take everything personally and literally. We also DISLIKE anyone around us who are consuming or are intoxicated from drugs or alcohol. I LOATHE being around anyone who is drinking, in particular… I would imagine CM Punk is the same way.

If you’re hurt or just tired, we have nothing to just take us away from things other than personal hobbies. Hence why I think Punk is a diehard hockey and MMA fan… That’s his “escape” rather than consuming a substance. For me, it’s probably working too much, watching lots of film and TV shows, video games, and being Mr. Tito. Trust me, these columns are therapy sessions for yours truly. Go read some of my columns from the late 2010s that were full of rage… I was overworked and had a loss of a key family member, so much of what you read back then was me taking it out on WWE’s bad shows back then. I probably needed the wrestling to be an escape for me, but when it wasn’t too pleasing, I’d take out my much needed rage in my columns.

That’s why guys like myself and CM Punk need to work in an environment that’s NOT toxic or confrontational. Why? Because again, when you’re off the drugs/alcohol and are dealing with reality 100%, everything thing is taken personally… Late at night, you’re constantly thinking about what happened and how someone did you wrong. Then, you start plotting revenge… However, if you place us in a good environment where our talents are appreciated and management isn’t micro-managing or confrontational, we’ll succeed.

CM Punk worked for the WWE during the late 2000s through 2014, and then AEW during 2021-2023. Both environments became TOXIC… In WWE, the overworked him, forced him to come back early from injury, made multiple false promises, and an Executive Vice President named Triple H openly tried to bury CM Punk. Then, CM Punk walks out of the WWE because he was burned out with Vince/Triple H not listening and then WWE officially terminates Punk on his wedding day. Meanwhile, in AEW, things were great at first during 2021, but once 2022 rolled around, Executive Vice Presidents Young Bucks decided to play backstage politics and spread lies about CM Punk and then making a stooge, Adam Page, to do their dirty work. This broke everything in AEW and Tony Khan was too much of a WIMP to manage this situation. It kept getting worse and worse until it blew up both at AEW All Out 2022 and AEW All In 2023.

Crazy thing is that AEW remains toxic… Nothing is going right for them and their numbers are WAY DOWN for 2024. Everything in AEW is what Tony wants and the Young Bucks do everything in their power to keep Tony paying them while ignoring the morale declines of the rest of the roster.

In WWE, you have a re-energized and mature Triple H. He is doing the OPPOSITE of what his younger self did as a backstage manager. Now officially retired as a pro wrestler due to a heart scare, he’s now focused on making the WWE into a strong brand again. In doing so, he’s adopted a management style that delegates authority rather than controlling and micro-managing everything as Vince McMahon did.

Just read what Triple H said on the Greg & the Morning Buzz radio show from New Hampshire:

Yeah, the stuff was great in your generation and you learned it a certain way, but the kids today learn it a different way, and what they see and what they think is cool, then that’s what you need to give them. I can’t control that. I learned this 30 years the hard way. It is in no way shape or form about what I want. It’s about what they want. If it becomes about what I want, then the show will die. It is about what they want and that overall big picture.

“If it becomes about what I want, then the show will die”.

BOOM! But even more than that, Triple H recognizes that he, alone, does not have all of the answers. The WWE Creative Team now has more power to push their own unique ideas rather than trying to write ideas that Vince McMahon would possibly like. BIG DIFFERENCE. Triple H has multiple managers within creative, talent, and developmental who report to him directly and also present their own ideas on how to improve the product. Wrestlers now have some freedom to help direct what they say and what their characters do. Look at Shawn Michaels in NXT… He’s thriving and has made NXT a great working experience and the morale is WAY UP for the next generation of wrestlers.

THAT is what CM Punk joined 1 year ago.

Had CM Punk joined the WWE during 2021 instead of AEW, he’d be miserable because it was the same old toxic WWE environment micro-managed by Vince McMahon. Sure, they finally got Roman Reigns right by turning him heel, but outside of the Bloodline, WWE wasn’t that good especially when watching 3 hours of RAW each Monday. Then, Triple H returned during June 2022 and things were suddenly moving in a positive direction. Vince McMahon did return and meddled a little bit, but eventually stepped back to focus more on corporate responsibilities with Endeavor and TKO. Then, Endeavor/TKO forced Vince to stay away from WWE Creative and Triple H began changing the backstage and creative environment, for the better, once again. By early 2024, Vince McMahon was officially gone thanks to sponsors threatening the WWE amidst the detailed sexual allegations of the lawsuit.

Work CULTURE matters, folks… If there’s no growth ladder to climb, employees will be miserable and they’ll spread misery amongst each other. If management above micro-manages everything, then it reduces the value of the staff members below to let them grow. Management who are negative or hypocrites are also terrible to work for and again, limits opportunities to grow. Management with their head in the sand and enables bad behavior of others are terrible to work for. Don’t get me started on double standards… HOWEVER, if you find a workplace with management who aren’t as greedy at the top and get a joy over others thriving with opportunities, then you’ll flourish as an employee who just wants to be loved. See, when you take everything seriously, you just need a big hug. As you can see in the backstage footage just released from Survivor Series 2023, there are lots of hugs being given to Punk. And look how friendly Punk and HHH are towards each other now.

I’m speaking to you as a wrestling fan, as Mr. Tito who has worked at multiple wrestling websites, the person behind the mask, and the professional employee behind the mask as well. If you’re someone who is well aware of your surroundings and takes everything personally, working for aggressive personalities like Vince McMahon or Triple H through 2014 will make you miserable. Working for an enabler and weakling, who doesn’t discipline anyone, like Tony Khan will make you frustrated. Working for someone like Eric Bischoff, who employed tons of double standards, will drive you insane… BUT if you run into the Triple H of 2022-2024 who enjoys seeing everyone beneath him succeed, you’ll thrive.

AEW can keep adding free agents for all I care. Until the fix their CULTURE where nobody is held truly accountable and has poor lieutenants like the Young Bucks + many of their enablers in place, it’s not going to grow. Furthermore, Tony won’t empower anyone else to help him run the company. All of the creative ideas are Tony’s alone rather than a collective of ideas from team members. Tony Khan is a WIMPY version of Vince McMahon who lacks the aggression and intensity of Vince but certainly has the ego and the desire to micro-manage everything just like Vince. Furthermore, Tony wants to remind you that AEW is HIS company and not everyone who works there’s company.

Both WWE and AEW have the letters that spell out “WE” in them… The most successful wrestling promotions of all time happened when “WE” happened, not “I” or “me”. The Attitude Era began dying when the strong team of Ross, Russo, Cornette, Prichard, and Patterson left, lost their spots, or were used less while Vince McMahon micro-managed everything again as he did during the early to mid-1990s when the WWE went from suck to blow.

Culture matters and CM Punk, 1 year later, continues to THRIVE in the WWE culture that Triple H rebuilt!

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ