Despite claims WWE has no intention of signing CM Punk following his AEW departure, rumours and theories about him making a surprise appearance at Survivor Series in Chicago next month continue to do the rounds online.
The Best in the World is said to have expressed interest in returning to WWE at the start of this year, and now he's a free agent, common sense says he should end his pro wrestling career there. What would WWE gain? Well, Punk is a guaranteed ratings draw and this would be a great way for the sports entertainment giant to get one over on AEW and Tony Khan.
Someone who doesn't believe WWE needs Punk is WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW boss Eric Bischoff.
"I'm not 100% convinced [he won’t go to WWE] because it is all about business and WWE historically is able and willing to get beyond issues, personal or otherwise," he recently said on his 83 Weeks podcast. "Warrior comes to mind. A cat named Eric Bischoff comes to mind. There's been a whole bunch of us where nobody would have ever imagined that certain people would get back or get into a WWE ring ever again only to be surprised."
"I'm not saying I'm 100% sure, but my gut tells me no, mostly because they just don't need him. There are no holes. Where are the holes in the WWE roster right now? Where are the holes in the product? We're getting ready to step into the hottest time of the year. This is wrestling's version of the Super Bowl coming up here over the next month or two leading up to it. I just don't feel the need for it right now."
"Their live event business is off the charts. They're selling out 10, 11, 12,000 seat arenas for SmackDown and RAW," Bischoff continued. "Merchandise is flying off the shelf so there's just no holes in their game right now. It's not going to be that way forever. You know, everything ebbs and flows. Maybe somewhere down the road I see it, but I certainly don't see it coming up anytime soon."
He makes some good points and WWE certainly won't have any problem continuing its current hot streak without the "Real" AEW World Champion. However, they can always get hotter, and having a massively popular Superstar like Punk on the roster heading into WrestleMania would be a major win for the company.
It will all come down to whether WWE believes Punk can behave himself backstage; however, he's unlikely to face the same sort of problems he did in AEW with the EVPs and their pals (who seemingly never wanted him there from the start).
Survivor Series takes place on Saturday, November 25.