When CM Punk first left WWE about a decade ago, no one imagined that he would ever return to the Stamford’s company. The former world champion – who was very feisty and difficult to manage in the dressing room – had had serious talks with the old management and also with Triple H, who is the head of the creative team now.
Over the years, the 'Second City Saint' has worked on his character and has matured a lot even outside the ring, learning to accept compromises and to have a more fruitful relationship with the people who work with him.
When it became clear that Punk would not continue his journey in All Elite Wrestling, the brilliant mind of The Game realized that it was the right time to try to bring him back to WWE. It is no secret that the Chicago veteran and HHH had numerous conversations before reaching a final decision, discussing their respective positions and solving the problems of the past.
As everyone knows, Punk made his shocking WWE return to 2023 Survivor Series and immediately showed that he had changed from ten years earlier. The former AEW star has achieved really brilliant results in these two years and in 2025 he finally had the chance to compete in the main event of WrestleMania for the first time in his career.
Triple H pays tribute to CM Punk
The 'Second City Saint' was among the protagonists of Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia a few days ago, facing 17-time world champion John Cena for the world title.
During the traditional post-show press conference, Triple H confessed that he was very surprised by the incredible evolution of CM Punk: “If you’d have told me 10 years ago that CM Punk would be here in Saudi for the WWE, I would have thought you’re out of your mind.”
The Game continued: “I was privileged to watch him grow as a human being, to step out here and apologize to the people of Saudi, to just cherish where he is at in life and his career and the things he gets to do and the opportunities that he has. And I was incredibly proud of him.”