CM Punk Reveals Vince McMahon Ghosted Him After Pushing for a WWE Comeback in 2018–19

Vince McMahon never followed up on a meeting he had with CM Punk intended to orchestrate the latter's return to WWE.

CM Punk Reveals Vince McMahon Ghosted Him After Pushing for a WWE Comeback in 2018–19

CM Punk and Vince McMahon [via- WWE]

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CM Punk’s return to professional wrestling might never have happened in AEW if not for Vince McMahon suddenly going silent after nearly sealing a WWE comeback a few years ago. ‘The Best in the World’ recently shared a revealing story about a meeting he had with McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque around 2018, shedding light on how close he came to rejoining the Stamford-based promotion before being ghosted.

Speaking to Robbie Fox on My Mom’s Basement, Punk revealed that Mr. McMahon had started ringing up his agents to see if they could meet. ‘The Second City Saint’ didn’t pay much heed to it until the WWE CEO called him personally. They talked it over and decided to meet in person to gauge Punk’s interest in making a comeback to WWE.

You know, ‘Okay, alright’ and we had a meeting and we had a handshake agreement and then he ghosted me. So, that’s why it didn’t happen. Unbelievable.… Yeah, that would have been probably the first time that me and Triple H probably started chipping it away at any problems or drama that we had in the past.

CM Punk via My Mom’s Basement podcast

Interestingly enough, the two parties had a handshake agreement. However, in a bizarre follow-up, the Chicago-born wrestler got ghosted by McMahon. Outside of that, Punk mentioned that the said meeting was the beginning of him and Levesque letting go of the real-life animosity they had for each other in the past.

Punk mentioned in a previous interview that McMahon’s WWE exit paved the way for his return in November 2023 at Survivor Series in his hometown of Chicago. It has been proven time and time again that the 79-year-old never truly wanted the ex-AEW star back in WWE.

In fact, it was McMahon only who asked the security to escort Punk out of the arena when he made an unsolicited visit to a Raw taping in Chicago in May 2023. At the time, ‘The Straight Edge Superstar’ was still under an AEW contract.

CM Punk comments on his current relationship with Triple H

It’s a well-known fact that Triple H and CM Punk had been bitter rivals in the course of their careers. But there have been a number of wholesome interactions between the two since the Chicagoan’s return to WWE. Punk even admitted to Levesque’s wife, Stephanie McMahon, that he was a schmuck back in the day and that he did some dumb things on his part.

CM Punk and Triple H
CM Punk and Triple H (via WWE)

However, that beef was quashed over the years, and they are on amicable terms. During a recent interview with Scott Fishman, Punk said that there’s so much more of an understanding between him and ‘The Game’. Punk added that he’s gained a new perspective in life, and so has the WWE Chief Content Officer. Addressing their previous heat, the ‘Voice of the Voiceless’ believes it stemmed from the fact that they were each other’s competition on the main roster.

But now that they are on the same page while sharing a common vision of helping the next generation of wrestlers break out, the dynamic is more relaxed than ever. ‘The King of Kings’ recently praised Punk for his heartfelt apology to the people of Saudi Arabia over the controversial remarks he made in 2020. Levesque affirmed that it’s been a privilege to see Punk grow as a human being.

What’s next for CM Punk in WWE?

On this week’s Raw, CM Punk won a Gauntlet Match to earn the right to face Gunther. They will now collide at SummerSlam for the World Heavyweight Championship. It’s going to be their first meeting on the main roster, and the fans couldn’t be more excited for it. Apart from this mouth-watering showdown, one more aspect to look out for is Punk’s potential link-up with Roman Reigns.

CM Punk, Jey Uso and Roman Reigns
CM Punk, Jey Uso, and Roman Reigns [via- WrestleTalk/@X]

The OTC’s return this week brought him face-to-face with ‘The Best in the World’. They kept staring at each other for a while after Reigns made light work of Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Reigns and Punk were betrayed by Paul Heyman at WrestleMania 41.

They appeared set to join forces against Seth Rollins‘ faction at a major event like SummerSlam. However, the plan might have been dropped after Rollins’ unfortunate knee injury. It’d be interesting to see how things pan out in the weeks to come.

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