After making quite possibly the highest-profile return to WWE since… the NWO return 20 years ago, seemingly every wrestling fan, from the hardest of hardcore to the sort of lapsed individuals who still call it WWF, tuned in to Monday Night RAW to see what the “Best in the World,” CM Punk, had to say about, well, everything.

Would he shoot on AEW, trashing his former home in the same way he trashed WWE in his infamous “Pipebomb?” Or would he instead turn his ire at his new home, suggesting that he's back to right his wrongs and prove who really is the best?

Well, as it turns out, neither really happened, as he instead celebrated his return, called the promotion his “home,” and left fans with a whimper instead of a roar.

Discussing the promo and his initial reaction to it on his Hall of Fame podcast, a reaction that drew some negative initial returns from fans who can only see the good in what Punk brings to the table, Booker T noted that, in his opinion, the “Second City Saint” simply spoke from his heart and delivered a message that resonated with the audience, as opposed riling up the audience for future fights.

“I said [his return promo in AEW] wasn't the best promo I ever saw, it could have had more substance to it, and a lot of people gave me backlash because I said that, because I didn't say ‘It was the greatest promo in the world. It was a pipebomb!' In this promo on Monday night, it was a heartfelt promo, that's what I think. At points in time, CM Punk got caught in the moment a little bit, he almost got choked up a little bit,” Booker T said on his Hall of Fame podcast via Fightful.

“I know this, when you leave a company and come back, you wonder how the fans are going to treat you. You wonder if they're going to boo you out of the building. You just don't know. For CM Punk, the way he left, very polarizing, and then to come back. Even in Chicago, he might have had that feeling wondering, ‘How is it going to be?' For CM Punk to come out, not having that comfort zone (on Monday) of being in Chicago, wondering, ‘How are they going to react?' Then, they give him the ultimate pop. That does something to you. This promo that he cut, it felt like a heartfelt promo. Seemed like he was speaking from the heart. It seemed like he had some notes written, but sometimes you forget the script and just go with the heart. For me, it wasn't the greatest ‘promo promo' as far as ‘I'm going to whoop everyone's a** in the locker room' promo, which is what I'm looking for a lot of times. It was not that.”

Should Punker have returned to RAW for the first time in a decade with a bit more fire in his belly? Popular opinion seems to be yes, but hey, with just one appearance on the Red Brand so far and another booked for SmackDown on Friday, who knows, maybe he'll have something self up his straight-edged sleeves to get fans talking?

Booker T doesn't think CM Punk will have the same issues in WWE.

Continuing his conversation regarding CM Punk's return, Booker T noted that, in his opinion, fans shouldn't worry too much about the “Best in the World” pulling the same behavior in WWE as he did in AEW, as he likely wants to end his professional wrestling career on the right foot.

“I really don't think the problems that we saw in AEW with CM Punk that we're going to see them in WWE. The reason I say that is because CM Punk is a different person now. He's not that same kid he was 10 years ago. He's not. This is perhaps CM Punk's last run. I'm sure he probably wants to go out on the right note, just for himself,” Booker T said via Fightful.

“Nobody wants to leave this business with their legacy out there all crap and mud. No one wants that. For CM Punk to have a chance to come back to WWE and right that ship, re-write the ending with WWE, I'm sure that's the way one would want to go out in this business. I say that because so many guys say, ‘The Hall of Fame doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean anything to mean. I don't give a d**n about no Hall of Fame.' So many people say that, until they get the phone call. Then they go, ‘I would love to do that.' You have that one chance to thank the fans for that right and all those guys that helped you get there. All those mentors, all those teachers that helped you get there along the way. You don't get a chance to do that in front of, for me, Madison Square Garden. That's something I think every wrestler, at the end of the day, would love to have that moment. CM Punk has a chance to do that.”

Will CM Punk shock the world and prove that he can not only survive but thrive in WWE after burning out in an incredible way as a member of AEW? Maybe yes, maybe no, but Booker T is right about one thing: he really is running out of chances to do so anywhere else.