Before CM Punk officially signed on the dotted line and returned to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames, WWE Hall of Famer and Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative at NXT, Shawn Michaels, said the Best in the World would be welcomed back to the company if he had his say.
Well, Triple H has done just that, and interest in WWE is arguably higher now than it has been for quite some time.
Talking to Peter Rosenberg on his Cheap Heat podcast, HBK shared his thoughts on Punk's return and said he has nothing but positivity to share about the former AEW star coming "home."
"I get, like everybody else, I get happy, thrilled, like, holy cow...I understand business. And also, look, I wasn't always the most popular guy to people, but I was really good at my job and I feel like that's one of the reasons I've had one here in the WWE for almost four years. I'm dependable, and I'm good at my job. I think if you are that, there's always an opportunity here, especially if you if you want one."
"You know, stories like this are always fantastic, even if they're controversial. That's part of what makes them fantastic. And so look, there are times, you know, I don't always know what's going on. Truth be told, I don't think sometimes they know what's going on, but that's what makes unpredictability just that unpredictable. That's what makes this job so fantastic and so unique, unlike anything else. And that's why we've continued to thrive for, you know, 40-plus years as well."
Michaels later shared his thoughts on how surprising Punk's return was, particularly as the vast majority never believed it could or would happen.
"Because in this line of work, what makes it so fantastic? You're never 100% sure, even if you think you are. You're just not being honest. Of course, you're just saying, ‘I know this is going to happen,’ but there's always a little piece, and you're going like, ‘I don't know, you know,’ and again, to your point, I just felt I think everybody thought this was a bridge too far."
WWE is expected to put Punk front and centre in the weeks and months ahead; as you can see below, he's smack bang in the middle of the first Royal Rumble poster, the same show he made his final WWE appearance on back in 2014.
Michaels has said he'd happily welcome Punk to NXT, though we don't anticipate seeing the former WWE Champion head there for a while yet! Of course, if NXT ever goes head-to-head with AEW Dynamite again, we've no doubt he'll be all over that show.
Check out the newly revealed Royal Rumble poster in the X post below.