What was CM Punk’s last match in WWE before returning at Survivor Series 2023?

Royal Rumble 2014 was the place where the Best in the World last competed before returning to WWE at Survivor Series.

What was CM Punk’s last match in WWE before returning at Survivor Series 2023?

CM Punk (via WWE)

The Best in the World CM Punk shocked the world after he walked through the curtain at the Survivor Series to make his iconic return to WWE. It has been almost a decade since Punk’s last match in the Stamford-based promotion. CM Punk’s last match in WWE was the Royal Rumble match on January 26, 2014.

At Royal Rumble 2014, CM Punk competed in the Royal Rumble which was his last match in WWE. He entered the Rumble as the first entrant in the match and was even among the final four members of the match. However, after an incredible performance in the match, Kane eliminated the Second City Saint. During the action, Punk scored an impressive count of three eliminations.

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Moreover, the Best in the World stayed for almost 50 minutes in the match, which was impressive for many of his fans. However, this was the last appearance of CM Punk on television. He walked out of WWE on January 27, 2014, the day after the Royal Rumble. The Best in the World was not mentioned in any WWE event afterward until Survivor Series 2023.

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Some of the superstars who competed against CM Punk in his last WWE match include Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Jey Uso. Punk has a bitter-sweet relationship with WWE. Despite everything, the Second City Saint let bygones be bygones and returned to WWE.

What happened between WWE and CM Punk after Royal Rumble 2014?

Royal Rumble 2014 marked the last appearance of CM Punk before returning to Survivor Series 2023. The Best in the World didn’t show up for Monday Night Raw the next day. He wasn’t even mentioned by WWE afterward. In the forthcoming weeks, WWE will discontinue Punk’s advertisements for their shows.

CM Punk
CM Punk (via X)

On an episode of Wrestling Observer in 2014, reports were that Punk himself quit WWE, saying he was going home. Later on, WWE informed the investors that CM Punk was on a break. However, in April, WWE fired Punk on his wedding day with AJ Lee.

CM Punk divulged later on that the manner of firing was a major letdown for him. After a long legal procedure, WWE and Punk came to a settlement of no longer working relationships with each other, which included WWE’s permission to see Punk’s remaining merchandise.

Punk talked a lot about WWE in the later years, saying he would never come back. However, in 2023, The Best in the World shocked the world as he came back to the company he left unexpectedly in 2014. It was a dream come true for many fans who chanted his name through the course of a decade of his absence.

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