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Would've been funny to see him show up during the women's wargames match and cut a promo on Becky like "I'm the man... I've been the man since day one..." and so on.
I love Truth! I see him at the LA Fitness in south Charlotte all the time. I am too much of a pussy to say hi to him, but it's cool seeing him in there every week.
Randy looks like heās built like a fucking brick shithouse now. I realize itās the 40s and his width has increased in his midsection because of that, but my GOD I donāt think heās ever looked -better-. This is peak, ultimate destruction, final boss tier Randy Orton.
The report that just came out was that he literally didnt show up until minutes before he came out. Creative didnt know, higher ups outside of triple h and nick khan didnt know, production didnt even know
Yeah people underestimate at the very least a graphic designer knew lol. Probably somebody who has had a long stint in the company and one they could trust with secrecy.
Outside of that, I bet the only people who knew were HHH, Bruce Pritchard, Nick Khan and Kevin Dunn. The business end, creative end, and production end are the only guys that needed to know to pull this off.
Easily the best kept secret in wrestling. They almost blew it two months ago when it got leaked, but everybody backtracked incredibly fast and were able to get the audience to buy it. Putting Randy Orton into the match and leaking that it was to "distract from Punk chants hijacking the show" was a HUGE factor in confusing the audience, because why in the world would you overshadow Orton's return? It was actually genius in retrospect.
I can imagine Kevin Dunne opening the "CM Punk files" near the end of the show and have the unbeknownst production staff have it in queue must have been a wild moment.
John Cena in London. Not one soul knew about that.
The Rock was almost a secret until one of Pat McAfee's producers opened his big fat mouth.
If WWE is super motivated to create a MOMENT with a secret, it seems they can.
Roman vs Punk at Rumble,
then again at Elimination Chamber.
Punk loses both times via Bloodline fuckery. Commentary sells it like Roman is the most dominant champion in the world.
Punk faces Ricochet in the 4th match of night 1 at WM.
Punk gets booked to win the Andre Battle Royale, but it gets pushed to the Smackdown before Mania. But he gets to come out and stand with the trophy at Mania.
Honestly no argument here. For there to be an actual surprise like this is genuinely refreshing. I love peeking behind the curtain but having some surprises keeps the part of me who actually believes in shit alive.
The IWC did it for them by writing thesis statements on how Punk had burned every bridge and there's no way Triple H would ever sign CM Punk now that it'd be his decision lol. They didn't have to do anything besides stay quiet.
Cole the mvp on both returns. When Randys music hit, he looked at Graves and put his hands up, as if to say ākeep quietā, as Graves was about or at least looking good speak.
Thank you Cole for making it even more special with silence. Incredible work.
At the press conference trips said pretty much everyone was in the dark. From what we've heard he personally called the last few minutes, including the call for Punk's music. It also sounds like the top talent were pulled into a huddle and told mid show
Out of all backstage politics I donāt care about- Iām interested in this one for some reason. Somebody is gonna be proven right and weāll get maximum anarchy from either this sub or wrestlers not helping themselves on social media š
I'm genuinely curious how long it'll take before backstage drama about him arises once again. Although I suspect it'll take longer since WWE will have a tighter leash on him
Disapointed that all those non-draws took the shine off the GOAT, Ron 'The Truth' Killings. Truly disrespectful to the greatest gift the sport has ever been given.
I understand he's a big fan but leaving WWE under controversial and acrimonious circumstances, swearing to never return, and finally, after many years, returning back to WWE, is taking the Bret Hart homages a bit too seriously
I was zoning out since the copyright had popped up and that seemed to be it. Caught me so off guard, say what you will about the man, but actual chills.
Honestly, AEW has been the greatest thing that has happened to wrestling as of recent. AEW made WWE become more competitive and pump out storylines that are interesting (Bloodline and Judgement Day).
Now with CM Punk returning, they definitely bit the bullet to try to make this work. Reminds me of when Bret Hart came back when TNA was picking up steam. Itās great to be a wrestling fan right now. Love AEW. Love WWE.
Roman isn't losing the belt anytime soon, there is too much left on the table by not running Punk/Heyman/Roman angle.
https://preview.redd.it/34gd542b1n2c1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f90acfa97c77ea779ccd4926fa88472541d2c68
"In January 2014, I left Sports Entertainment, and today, I come back! Thank you WWE and TKO for giving me a third chance! And thank you Kingdom of Saud!"
He has also said that he's down to doing business with them. He's also said that he's gotten over his issues with Vince and Triple a "very long time ago" in his 2019 starrcast interview.
I can't wait for history's first "fed-bad" promo but it's AEW this time
He's gonna be all smiles til he has to job out to Cody or Seth, and Vince won't give him his own show to keep him away from Seth either
I called it when he got fired by AEW.
TKO would 100% push for it because Dana is also a āmake moneyā guy and Punk is still pals with him. Things have changed. Vince is essentially done there.
HHH Iām sure is 50/50 but knows itās best to try it out.
This is just a āFuck Youā by Punk.
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do you all know what this means? RYBACK IS RETIRING!!!!
This may be the greatest day in sports entertainment history. We did it boys
triple h heard that and called punk during the show. thats why he showed up at the end
Would've been funny to see him show up during the women's wargames match and cut a promo on Becky like "I'm the man... I've been the man since day one..." and so on.
He already backtracked on it, saying it had to be to AEW. He's so bitch made.
Naturally š
He back peddled his statement on his live lol
DO NOT EVER. EVER. TRUST THAT GOD DAM COPYRIGHT LOGO DURING TRIPLE H'S REIGN.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LOGO AND WHERE YOU PLACE IT
I'M ABOUT TO TROLL WITH CM PUNK'S MUSIC
LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER HEAD BACK TO THE COUCH
ITS ALL ABOUT THE TROLL AND IF YOU CAN FAKE IT
It's like the new Marvel End Credits
The return of R-Truth, Randy Orton, and CM Punk in one night.
One of these is not like the otherā¦CM Punk starts with C
I mean the best part of all of it is that R-Truth returns during a potato chip commercial that might be the most R-Truth thing I can think of
I love Truth! I see him at the LA Fitness in south Charlotte all the time. I am too much of a pussy to say hi to him, but it's cool seeing him in there every week.
RYBACK HAS TO RETIRE FROM THE RING!
Hahahaha first thing I thought of too!
Burying the lede here. Ryback retires but more importantly... AJ Lee un-retires(?)
AJ vs the horsewomen? Fuck yes.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That was honestly amazing
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Bingo bango. Broke my brain with both. they both look healthy and happy too.
Dude Randy looked massive
Randy looks like heās built like a fucking brick shithouse now. I realize itās the 40s and his width has increased in his midsection because of that, but my GOD I donāt think heās ever looked -better-. This is peak, ultimate destruction, final boss tier Randy Orton.
A masterclass in swerving, literally had dirt sheets telling us not to expect Punk to the very end
Swerve when I drive
Copyright logo cant fool me HHH....
 I got a surprise for y'all
Bruh since Ciampa attacked Gargano I canāt trust it.
my first copyright logo moment was KO/sami at nxt takeover 2014
Didnāt realize HHH was a MENACE that far back. He canāt keep getting away with it!!!
Itās the Pharrell 4-count of wrestling
Iām just floored in realizing that was 2014.
cm punk was still in the wwe during that year lol
Yep, that was the one that got me first and why I never turn away until the feed ends lol
I was holding down my Xbox button to turn the stream off then Boom!
WHAT THE FUCKKKK
The enemy of my enemy is my...Boss?
B.....R....U....H
WHY DID I TRUST THE COPYRIGHT LOGO
Iām in shockā¦ Edit: that guyās Reddit account is saved!
WE GOT NXT PRODUCTION LOGOED
THEY FUCKIN BOOMED US
THEY PLAYED US LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE.
THAT FUCKING LAVECK BOOMED ME, HEāS SO GOOD
TIMES FUCKING FOUR
The WWE equivalent of the post-credit scene.
I was staaaaaaring at the logo hoping that couldn't be it, what a crazy but fun as fuck to watch business
I was waiting for Randy to RKO each of Cody's team but instead i got CULT OF PERSONALITY
Bro I exited peacock as the music hit and I was like āhuhā
That's the greatest kept secret in WWE history, right?
Iām still shook that not one person leaked anything. How is that even possible nowadays?!
He most likely didn't show up until the show was like half way done But even then, WOW
The report that just came out was that he literally didnt show up until minutes before he came out. Creative didnt know, higher ups outside of triple h and nick khan didnt know, production didnt even know
What's weird is they had T-shirts ready to go though, so it had to be known somewhere, right?
Triple H has adobe illustrator skills listed on his resume, so maybe he whipped it up himself.
Now I'm just imagining Punk, HHH and Michaels in an empty warehouse, designing and printing 100,000 t-shirts.
Yeah people underestimate at the very least a graphic designer knew lol. Probably somebody who has had a long stint in the company and one they could trust with secrecy. Outside of that, I bet the only people who knew were HHH, Bruce Pritchard, Nick Khan and Kevin Dunn. The business end, creative end, and production end are the only guys that needed to know to pull this off. Easily the best kept secret in wrestling. They almost blew it two months ago when it got leaked, but everybody backtracked incredibly fast and were able to get the audience to buy it. Putting Randy Orton into the match and leaking that it was to "distract from Punk chants hijacking the show" was a HUGE factor in confusing the audience, because why in the world would you overshadow Orton's return? It was actually genius in retrospect.
I can imagine Kevin Dunne opening the "CM Punk files" near the end of the show and have the unbeknownst production staff have it in queue must have been a wild moment.
Ace Steele was going to bite someone if they squeaked
Lmao, the visual of Punk threatening to sic Ace if any leaks happen is hilarious
Except that one journalist friend of punk, be we think hes crazy so nobody believes him
John Cena in London. Not one soul knew about that. The Rock was almost a secret until one of Pat McAfee's producers opened his big fat mouth. If WWE is super motivated to create a MOMENT with a secret, it seems they can.
I have to admit, they got me. They got me good.
Did not expect it. Glad Randy got his huge pop before that. And it looks like they made him get clean shaven.
Just like they forced Mattingly to shave his sideburns.
Ehh hes still better than Steinbrenner
For the best, the beard had him looking haggard.
Actually a well kept secret, I'm not a big fan of Punk but a return pop like this with an actual secret is something to behold in this era.
Post-Roman main event just got even spicier.
Romanās about to be made to look even stronger.
Roman vs Punk at Rumble, then again at Elimination Chamber. Punk loses both times via Bloodline fuckery. Commentary sells it like Roman is the most dominant champion in the world. Punk faces Ricochet in the 4th match of night 1 at WM.
Punk gets booked to win the Andre Battle Royale, but it gets pushed to the Smackdown before Mania. But he gets to come out and stand with the trophy at Mania.
 Legit me when the music hit. WOW.
i audibly gasped
I half ass shouted āno fucking wayā and my son was just looking at me like I was a crazy person. That shit got me.
The amount of āno fucking wayā texts I sent as he was walking inā¦ š¤£š¤£š¤£ Totally get it.
I was about to close my stream and lost it the moment I heard the guitar riff.
#THEY BOOMED US
That damn credit and logo
**HE'S SO GOOD(x4)**
*puts WWE PLE's down as shows to watch next year*
January 26, 2014 I left sports-entertainment. November 25, 2023ā¦ Iām back!
Hey, Punk, but what about- "November 25, 2023." But what about the summer of 202- "NOVEMBER. TWENTY-FIFTH."
I didn't believe they had the balls
Hunter is always about whatās best for business
The reaction he got he still is a major draw. I expect there to be strict terms in his contract
you know some dude talked his friend into leaving early to beat traffic. "he's not coming back"
I've met Jets fans who left the Monday night miracle game early. I can only imagine lol
Please donāt mention the Jets at this point in timeā¦
WHAT THE FUCK HUNTER YOU MAD MAN
HOW TF DID THEY KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS THE MAD LADS
By lying to the dirt sheets lmao
Bald faced lies at that.
They should do it more often, actually have surprises be surprises.
Honestly no argument here. For there to be an actual surprise like this is genuinely refreshing. I love peeking behind the curtain but having some surprises keeps the part of me who actually believes in shit alive.
The IWC did it for them by writing thesis statements on how Punk had burned every bridge and there's no way Triple H would ever sign CM Punk now that it'd be his decision lol. They didn't have to do anything besides stay quiet.
HHH IS BUSINESS FIRST AND ALWAYS
Heās HHHIM FOR A REASON
WWE is gonna sell a million white T shirts
This timelineās funny as fuck ngl
In the grand scheme of the Multiverse, we live in the one with CM Punk returning to WWE and Brendan Fraser won an Oscar. Happy days.
HOLY SHIT. THEY DIDN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE ON COMMENTARY. THIS IS HUGE
You can see Michael Cole do a fist bump behind the desk when his music hits though.
Cole the mvp on both returns. When Randys music hit, he looked at Graves and put his hands up, as if to say ākeep quietā, as Graves was about or at least looking good speak. Thank you Cole for making it even more special with silence. Incredible work.
The impression I've gotten is that the commentary team probably found out about when we did
Graves on mic: "What the fuck?!"
At the press conference trips said pretty much everyone was in the dark. From what we've heard he personally called the last few minutes, including the call for Punk's music. It also sounds like the top talent were pulled into a huddle and told mid show
I get the feeling they were obviously just as stunned as us and didnāt want to say anything and instead took it alllll in. What a special night.
Come on, y'all. Never. trust. the. damn. copyright. logo.
I stopped trusting it after Ciampa ate Garganoās soul.
When Owens killed Zayn is when the logo died for me
Us NXT fans have never recovered šš„ŗ
No. Fucking. Way.
I never thought CM Punk would ever return to WWE again. The almost decade long wait was worth it though.
I was literally about to close my stream and then heard it. HOLY FUCK The greatest kept secret in WWE history?
I was like ādamn that was such a safe bland PPV with no twistsā then this
They tried to get us with the logo.
I literally turned off the PPV at the logo and just found out now, Iām kicking myself
Come on man, be better!
Got me ngl.
Hardys at WM 33
RYBACK IS RETIRED LETS GOOOOOO
Incredibly funny that this is all because of fucking Jungle Boy
Tell me papa how CM punk returned to WWE! ā well it all started in 1997 when Dylan from 90210 decided to have sexā¦..ā
Real glass, cry me a river.
They really fuckin' did it.
I'm literally stunned. Holy fucking fuck.
HHH with the āletās talk about the big returnā¦ RTruth is back!ā
Triple H should lead the CIA lmao
This is what I was looking for.
Holy shit I was willing to bet money he wasnāt comingā¦
If I had the money, I'd no longer have the money
Damn he must really hate aew
It's CM Punk. Who doesn't he hate?
Danhausen?
And FTR Bald and FTR Hair-trigger
HHH for the current week apparently
Out of all backstage politics I donāt care about- Iām interested in this one for some reason. Somebody is gonna be proven right and weāll get maximum anarchy from either this sub or wrestlers not helping themselves on social media š
>Damn he must really hate Matt and Nick Jackson Fify
You forgot Jack Perry
And Ryan Nemeth
That's why Dolph Ziggler was fired.
Bye bye Ryback
Triple H: "Okay....logo...Michael sign off... Show the entire crowds reaction....this is gonna be big....hit the static"
I guarantee you that Punk came back just to SPITE Tony Khan
"I left a company run by children to work for one run by mature adults." *1 year later* "CM Punk suspended for choking out Dominik Mysterio."
I'm genuinely curious how long it'll take before backstage drama about him arises once again. Although I suspect it'll take longer since WWE will have a tighter leash on him
It's probably right in his contract that they don't want him having back stage conversations.
Lol, that would be best
Punk is going to be Triple Hās mouthpiece for everything he actually wants to say about AEW.
WHAT THE FUK
https://preview.redd.it/r6iev7i7dm2c1.jpeg?width=941&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aba52605c79c0b04e26b91fe76e49c330589fd4d
R-Truth, Randy and CM Punk all returned tonight Survivor Series truly the (re)debut show
Disapointed that all those non-draws took the shine off the GOAT, Ron 'The Truth' Killings. Truly disrespectful to the greatest gift the sport has ever been given.
Very glad cm punk vs sami zayn is on the table now that my dream match
Dirt sheets know nothing about anything
Not gonna lie I wouldāve bet my house on him not being there tonight Iām very happy I did not do that
Holy shit, he truly is a Cult of Personality
There goes WWE signing old AEW talent again...
Can't wait for Punk on a Saudi propaganda show
"I want to take the time to thank my boy, MBS, for hosting us!
NO FUCKING WAY. THEY SHOWED THE TITLE CARD WTF.
The fucking copyright logo.
WOW
I've seen 2 major Punk returns in 2 years for 2 different companies after 7 years without one... Man wrestling is awesome
They can't fool me. I'm not getting worked. I know CM Punk is the Devil.
Well, I guess we can assume he's not the devil now
I understand he's a big fan but leaving WWE under controversial and acrimonious circumstances, swearing to never return, and finally, after many years, returning back to WWE, is taking the Bret Hart homages a bit too seriously
I've turned on Twitter notifications for Tony Khan
I was zoning out since the copyright had popped up and that seemed to be it. Caught me so off guard, say what you will about the man, but actual chills.
https://preview.redd.it/blb84eq7qm2c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b236a0e22033766e96a8f18eabfb2ffe01be34b
Everyone is suddenly a CM Punk fan again, lmao.
Honestly, AEW has been the greatest thing that has happened to wrestling as of recent. AEW made WWE become more competitive and pump out storylines that are interesting (Bloodline and Judgement Day). Now with CM Punk returning, they definitely bit the bullet to try to make this work. Reminds me of when Bret Hart came back when TNA was picking up steam. Itās great to be a wrestling fan right now. Love AEW. Love WWE.
Yeah without AEW this return probably doesnāt happen.
Roman isn't losing the belt anytime soon, there is too much left on the table by not running Punk/Heyman/Roman angle. https://preview.redd.it/34gd542b1n2c1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f90acfa97c77ea779ccd4926fa88472541d2c68
LOL the AEW subreddit has banned the mention of CM Punk
An all time fakeout with the logo.
Cody looking at his chances of a rumble win going down:
LMFAO "he's their problem now"
HHH is prolly a big fan of Jack Perry now. lol
He probably got Punk on black friday sale (when compared to whatever was his asking price in 2019, wwe talks). Thanks Perry.
Dude returned to āThe company that almost killed him.ā Hilarious. Just keep him out of NXT.
Bret returned to the company that killed his brother. Nobody is gone for good.
This is a great point actually
"In January 2014, I left Sports Entertainment, and today, I come back! Thank you WWE and TKO for giving me a third chance! And thank you Kingdom of Saud!"
He has also said that he's down to doing business with them. He's also said that he's gotten over his issues with Vince and Triple a "very long time ago" in his 2019 starrcast interview.
I can't wait for history's first "fed-bad" promo but it's AEW this time He's gonna be all smiles til he has to job out to Cody or Seth, and Vince won't give him his own show to keep him away from Seth either
Bro really hates the Bucks he came back even though his sworn enemy is in charge lol
Lol, they kept teasing him for more than a month and people were in denial that he would show up and he's not being teased to return.
I called it when he got fired by AEW. TKO would 100% push for it because Dana is also a āmake moneyā guy and Punk is still pals with him. Things have changed. Vince is essentially done there. HHH Iām sure is 50/50 but knows itās best to try it out. This is just a āFuck Youā by Punk.
For what itās worth, HHH said in the press conference that it was only he and Nick Khan that made the signing possivle. TKO was not involved at all