CM Punk Looks Back On Backstage Happenings Before WWE Survivor Series Return

It's been nearly a year since CM Punk returned to WWE at the end of Survivor Series 2023. Although there were rumors ahead of the show that the "Best In The World" could be coming back, especially because Survivor Series was being held from his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, on the day of the event, Punk had still yet to sign a contract with WWE. In an interview with "No-Contest Wrestling," Punk detailed the final moments before walking through the curtain at last year's Survivor Series.

"I just sit down and then I'm just in there and they're starting the WarGames match right. So it's literally like, I don't have a deal yet, we're at the end of the show. So I'm just sitting in there and the lawyers are going back and forth hammering stuff out and Triple H walks in and he's just like, 'If this gets done, we're just going to wait when the time's right, we're going to bring you in through Gorilla,' And I was like, 'Okay, great.' So contracts get executed and it's time, and it's literally just like, 'Okay, deep breath, open the door, walk through Gorilla." 

Punk continued to explain that moments before his surprise return, he was given almost no instructions on what his on-screen role entailed. When his music hit, he still remained in the dark. However, after a brief screaming match with Triple H in the Gorilla Position, they decided in a matter of seconds to just have Punk walk out, and stand at the top of the ramp to close the show — much to the annoyance of Seth Rollins, who was visibly upset. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "No-Contest Wrestling" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.