CM Punk Is Turning into WWE Corporate's Best Friend

When CM Punk makes a move, it tends to shift the entire pro wrestling landscape dramatically, impacting multiple companies and fans everywhere.

And that's never been more true than now.

In the wake of Punk's stunning return to WWE on the heels of his much-scrutinized run in AEW, the sheer numbers and reports about which company does what with which broadcast partner is, frankly, worth a people's eyebrow, at the very least.

Case in point, television ratings. According to Wrestlenomics' Brandon Thurston, Punk's promo against Seth Rollins on the December 11 edition of Raw was easily the most-watched quarter-hour of the show, nearing the two-million viewers range and spiking a quarter-hour more than any segment in years.

And stunningly, it goes far beyond just ratings. According to F4WOnline's Dave Meltzer (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Punk is a big part of the pitch for WWE while talking with WWE and Warner Bros. Discovery about Raw's upcoming television deal—the same network that happens to host AEW shows currently.

Sure, fans could handwave this, at least as much as they can handwave a Superstar having such a big impact that he could influence which company gets what lucrative television deal on which network and when.

But what's funny is it hardly stops there. Ibou of WrestlePurists (h/t Ortman) recently suggested that Punk's long-term goal is to eventually take over Shawn Michaels' creative role within NXT. Which, if fans have been on social media lately, would make some sense given all of Punk's recent showings with younger talent at the WWE Performance Center and his appearance with Michaels on an NXT episode.

Now for what's nearly poetic—at this stage of Punk's career, he's no longer the trailblazing anti-authority figure. He's more of a guy in line to be the man at the very top of the ladder.

If we're being honest, creatively, it's a great twist and change of pace. Punk easing his character into a Corporate Punk schtick would be simply amazing. He's still fresh to WWE audiences again, so he's not going to go straight heel quickly. Fans didn't get to see the heel side, at least not really, during his AEW run, either.

All of this certainly fits with the vibe of his current feud with Rollins, which feels destined to main event WrestleMania on Night 1. Rollins repeatedly trying to warn fans about the wolf in sheep's clothing that is a corporate-feeling Punk and eventually being proven right would make for a compelling tale, especially for the way it would put the current champion into a beloved babyface role who has something to chase again.

Even beyond the initial feud with Rollins, there will be plenty for Punk to do that will keep him right at the very top of WWE and driving ratings.

The list is dream match and/or fantasy-booking-turned-real-life, yet true. Punk will need to brush shoulders with Roman Reigns and a guy by the name of Paul Heyman at some point. WWE's already gently pulling on the string that is his past relationship with Dominik Mysterio. It's even worth wondering if the all-timer of a possible feud with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin could happen. His having a few words to say with Cody Rhodes during an actual feud that blurs the realism given their time together in AEW would be fun, too. And that's just thinking of very surface-level stuff that would top pretty much anything else WWE or other companies could put out.

It's not just fans spitballing these ideas either, folks. Surely, some of these hypotheticals have been raised during creative discussions within WWE and possibly raised during television deal talks, too.

In a way, it's a little fitting it has all led to this for Punk. Some of his grievances that led to his abrupt departure from the company the first time out are things said departure helped modernize and improve for wrestlers in the industry. It's almost poetic, in a sense, that he returns to a place that is much better than he left it. That both he and WWE could reap the massive benefits of the renewed, improved relationship is only fitting.

Corporate-friendly Punk might seem something of a sellout given his anti-establishment nature that got him to this point. But right about now, it feels more like modernizing right alongside the times.

If Punk's eventually playing the corporate heel and playing into the sellout aspect, fans in 2024 and beyond are smart enough to see that the modern Punk is trailblazing into an industry, changing it for the better and then helping the betterment of the next generation who will take over the scene next—in the hopes another Punk isn't even necessary.

That might sound a little too waxing-poetic for some, but it's no wonder this corporate-feeling Punk is WWE's new best friend.