CM Punk: I Honestly Thought I Was Done With Pro Wrestling After My Exit From All Elite Wrestling

CM Punk did not think the WWE would come calling.

On the first episode of No Contest Wrestling, CM Punk was asked about his departure from All Elite Wrestling and how it led to him coming back to the WWE later that year in November where he would shock the world in his hometown of Chicago at Survivor Series.

“When I exit AEW, I probably did think that I was done.” Punk said to O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson.“That happened in August or September. I’m kind of chilling, and Nick Khan calls me in November. ‘When are you free and clear?’ I’m like, ‘Nick…I was fired.’ Very publicly. ‘I know. Certainly you’re not telling me that…’ He stopped himself and went, ‘Okay. We want to talk to you about coming back.’ I was like, ‘I’m on the way to the gym’ and I think I was flying to Atlantic City the next day for CFFC. ‘Shoot me times next week and we’ll get on the phone and talk.’ Wheels just started in motion. You’re on the phone, somebody says something about Survivor Series in Chicago and you go, ‘Oh. We can’t get a deal done in that amount of time, but that’s the spot.’ How eager are both sides to realize it?(how eager are you?)As eager as they were. When we first started talking, it was the typical Rumble. ‘You come in for the Rumble.’ Me, being the creative I am, ‘I get it, but that’s what you do with everybody. Everybody gets that.’ It was a gift. Survivor Series is in Chicago. It’s in three days and one of those three days is Thanksgiving.”

Punk would go on to compete in the Royal Rumble where he suffered a tricep injury that kept him out of action until SummerSlam where he embarked on a three-match feud with Drew McIntyre that was finally settled inside of the Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood where Punk walked out as the winner.

h/t to Fightful for the transcription.

Want to discuss wrestling further? Join our Discord community by clicking here! 

If you enjoy Bodyslam’s content, you can help donate to the site here. You can also visit our PWTees store and buy Bodyslam official merchandise here.

You can listen to all of Bodyslam’s podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Twitch, Apple, Google, or any of your favorite podcast platforms.

Follow me on X: @WhoElseButRami
Follow us on X: @BodyslamNet