CM Punk's return promo on RAW left a lot of fans feeling cold, though we'd later learn his time was cut short. Well, during last night's episode of SmackDown, there were no time constraints and the Best in the World was allowed to say whatever he wanted.
Revealing that he still hasn't decided which brand he'll sign with (even NXT is on the table), Punk talked about some of the opponents he'd like to square off with in WWE and acknowledged the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns...all while reminding him that he was the original Paul Heyman Guy.
Punk even referenced his time in AEW while talking about Kevin Owens and how it's unacceptable for wrestlers to be punching people backstage in 2023.
He also took some shots at World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins - Punk's rumoured opponent at WrestleMania - before making his intentions in WWE clear. He's back and wants to finish his story by finally main eventing the Showcase of the Immortals.
Later in the evening, Punk encountered Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and more backstage, setting the stage for all manner of possible feuds in the months ahead.
As of now, it appears the former AEW star is a likely candidate to win next year's Royal Rumble match and that he'll almost certainly main event WrestleMania whatever happens there.
Punk looks and sounds better than he has in a long time and while this was very much a WWE-style promo, fans are going crazy for him and it's great to see the multi-time WWE Champion back where he belongs. When will he wrestle again? That's currently unclear.
Check out some highlights from SmackDown in the X posts below: