For the first time since 2014, CM Punk wrestled a match in WWE, taking the mat against “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio in front of 15,569 fans at Madison Square Garden.

Taking the ring in the main event, Punk was cheered on throughout the match, with fans chanting, “You've still got it” despite having just wrestled at All In back in August, before pinning his foe for the 1-2-3 to cap off a return match to remember at the country's most famous venue.

After the match, Punk requested a microphone and addressed the crowd, letting the crowd in Manhatten know that he's not here to finish a story or make money, but instead to give back to the fans.

“Yeet! That was for my boy Uso back there. This was for all of you. I'll be honest, there's a little bit, a little part of me, that came here for me, but you guys are the high tide that raises all ships,” CM Punk told the crowd at MSG. “You have carried me throughout my career to my greatest moments. This is one of them. I want you to look to your left, look to your right, look behind you, say hello to your nieghbors. Shake hands. We are all in this together. When I wake up in the morning and someone asks me how my day is, I say, ‘Hey, I woke up this morning.' Everything else after that, I'm fortunate for. Every day I'm in the ring in front of all of you, I'm fortunate for. I came back here to finish what I started. It starts tonight in the world's most famous arena in front of you, the greatest fans on earth. I know I have stiff competition, but I'm here to finish what I started. When I win the Royal Rumble and go on to main event WrestleMania, ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to let you know that isn't me finishing my story. That's just me getting started.”

Will CM Punk win the Royal Rumble? Maybe yes, maybe no, but either way, if he wants to headline WrestleMania, it's one of the few ways to guarantee him a spot in the most prestigious show in professional wrestling.

Booker T sees a new CM Punk in the WWE Universe.

Discussing CM Punk's recent appearances in NXT on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T revealed how different the “Best in the World” acted versus his reputation, noting that maybe he really is shooting for Shawn Michaels' job after all.

“Punk is making his rounds. I was reading Punk said he would maybe be thinking of being the successor of Shawn Michaels one day when Shawn Michaels stepped down at NXT,” Booker T said via Fightful. “That's the vibe he's getting. I was reading that. Punk seemed to enjoy it. He's been down there every time I've been to work. ‘What are you doing here?' He's been very refreshing. It's been a different CM Punk. CM Punk said this time around, it's not about him, it's about the fans.”

Discussing the matter further, Booker T explained that, based on his interactions with the “Second City Saint,” Punk appears incredibly happy to spend time around young, receptive talent, which he clearly didn't get much of during his time in AEW.

“They were saying that's not something that is going to happen anytime soon. That's something years down the road because Shawn Michaels doesn't plan on going anywhere anytime soon,” Booker T added. “He was saying, just the way he's feeling, being around the group and being around the young talent. Knowing what it felt like to be young and hungry like that, wanting to be in a system like that, as well as being a mentor in the system like that. That kind of stuff, when you get to a certain point in your life, for me, I get a lot out of working with the NXT guys, and I feel a whole lot better when I go to NXT as opposed to just being at SmackDown and RAW because I know I'm not doing anything, I can't contribute as much to those guys on the show. Those guys are working. At NXT, these guys are learning and trying to figure it out. I can give advice here, give advice here. For me, I think that's what he's feeling, being down there because it is uplifting be part of the system down there. Those guys give you that kind of energy.”

Had more young AEW stars listened to Punk's advice instead of telling him to “Cry me a river” over doing real glass spots, maybe he'd be getting ready to wrestle at Worlds End on Long Island instead of wrestling an even bigger house show at MSG. Then again, considering how Punk has been talking about WWE, it seems like getting back to the big show was his main goal all along, so in the end, it probably wouldn't have mattered.