CM Punk has been a member of the WWE Universe for a little over six weeks, maybe more, depending on when he actually signed his contract.

Over that period, he's wrestled on television exactly zero times, cut about a half-dozen promos, and has been talked about far more than he's spoken himself, even if any comment he makes on pretty much any topic will be aggregated because Punk-a-Mania is in full swing. Factor in the Royal Rumble, which is coming up fast, and 2024 is looking to be the Year of the Chick Magnet, assuming he stays happy, healthy, and in good standing with his company.

And yet, on the house show circuit, it's a completely different story, as Punker has quietly been putting in the work outside of the watchful eye of the national spotlight, wrestling not one but two house show matches as he prepares for what should be an effort for the ages at the Royal Rumble, be that in the show's titular event or in a singles match a la the four-way bout for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship featuring Randy Orton, LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Roman Reigns.

Discussing his not-so-secret return to the ring for WWE on the company's Preview Special, Punk celebrated the live show circuit, not just because it not only allows him to beat up on non-storyline foes like “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio but also presents an opportunity to work in a more relaxed environment, free from having to hit TV cues.

“It was amazing. We call them live events now, which is how old I am,” CM Punk told the WWE Universe via Fightful. “They were house shows to me, probably always will be. They were my bread and butter. TV is one thing. TV is a whole nervous ball of energy. Everybody is worried about sticking to times on television, and you have a lot of bosses. When I'm on house shows, I don't have a boss; I just have fun. It brings me back to starting wrestling in the first place. The reason why you do it, for some reason you're drawn to do this, and I just got to have fun in a relaxed atmosphere in front of people who were excited to see me, and I got to punch Dirty Dom in the face. All in a day's work.”

While some fans outside of New York City and Los Angeles may feel a tad cheated that they didn't get to see Punk versus Mysterio on television, as by all accounts, the matches were very fun, it's nice that WWE is willing to put on “Supercards” for fans that don't have to stick rigidly to the storylines being presented on television, especially if the wrestlers love it too.

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CM Punk gives fans an update on his dog Larry.

As most fans focus on what the future holds for CM Punk in the ring, one question has persisted outside of the squared circle – and no, not that question – regarding the “Best in the World:” How is Larry the Dog doing?

Discussing the matter elsewhere in his appearance on the Preview Special, Punker let it be known that his dog, who blew out his ACL last year, is doing better.

“Oh, gosh, he’s doing so much better,” CM Punk shared via SE Scoops. “He’s doing much better. He’s had a string of really, really good days. He had a rough couple of months. I don’t know if it was harder on me and April (His wife, aka WWE’s AJ Lee) or was harder on him, but he’s trying to jump back on the couch now. That’s how we got hurt in the first place. So we just gotta keep an eye on him still. But he’s doing a lot better. I appreciate you asking.”

While Larry hasn't earned a ton of screen time over his very eventful dog life, he is one of the most notable pups in professional wrestling history because of his central place in the “Brawl Out,” where he was saved by Kenny Omega as his father may or may not have been throwing down with Ace Steel the Young Bucks in a locker room of the NOW Arena in Chicagoland. Considering he, much like Ace Steel's wife, isn't under an NDA for the event, who knows, maybe one day Larry will write his own tell-all relocation of the most infamous incident in AEW history and will join Mick Foley and Jim Ross as one of the great wrestling authors of all time. Stranger things, like a locker room crawl after All Out, have happened.