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If there's one member of the professional wrestling media landscape who has been exceptionally critical about CM Punk in 2023, it's WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff.
From trashing his actions, to making fun of Collision‘s ratings, to suggesting that there's absolutely no reason for WWE to sign the “Best in the World,” you'd think old Punker was the sort of “locker room cancer” Seth Rollins suggested earlier this year, with little reason for any promoter worth their salt to sign the 45-year-old at this stage of the game.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
So, after watching WWE pull off a surprise reveal for the ages at Survivor Series, the WCW personality had to take to his podcast with Jon Alba, Strictly Business, to discuss the deal, revealing that, while he clearly didn't expect the move, he thinks it can be a beneficial one for both parties.
“I was pissed because like two weeks before, I made another dumba** bet with Conrad on 83 Weeks because Conrad said, ‘I believe we're going to see CM Punk back in WWE before the end of the year.' I said, ‘I don't think so, it doesn't make sense to me, they don't need him right now. Survivor Series is sold out, it's already getting a ton of buzz. Where is the added value?'” Eric Bischoff asked via Fightful. “This is not my opinion of CM Punk, the performer, or Phil Brooks, the individual. I don't know him, the individual. Never had a conversation with him. Don't know what he's like, beyond what we see and hear about publicly. But just because WWE is so freaking hot right now that there is no hole in their roster, there's not a need. It's not like an NFL team that needs a better offensive line, and we've got to find that one guy who can be our anchor. There was no holes. So it was like, if you're going to pull that trigger and bring in a guy who is as controversial as Punk is, and who has done a great job of keeping himself front and center, in terms of controversy, why would you use it on a night when you don't need it?”
Turning his attention from his own (incorrect) insight to the meat and potatoes of Punk's return, Bischoff explained what made the segment work so well and how WWE could use that authenticity to their advantage in the storytelling process.
“CM Punk showing up in WWE, clearly there's what, a decade's worth of story there? His role in WWE, the way he left, the Pipebomb Promo, which, by the way, I found out subsequently was actually written for him, but the story is there. There's been this anticipation that's been brewing since the minute he left AEW. ‘Oh, is he gonna come back?' ‘Yes, he is.' ‘No, he isn't.' The anticipation has been there, almost instantly. It didn't have to be created or manufactured. The reality is the authenticity of it all. All of the stuff that we've been reading about for 18 months with regard to Punk and AEW and the drama with The Elite, the press conference, that's all real. That isn't a storyline. These are all things that happened. It's authentic. It's not a manufactured story. So you've got great story, history, backstory. You've got anticipation that was built in from the moment the news broke that Punk was being let go. The authenticity can't be doubted. The surprise was pulled off perfectly, and now we have action coming up next,” Bischoff noted.
“That's the easy part of wrestling. The action is the easy part. The story's the hard part. Creating anticipation is a challenge. Keeping it real and authentic is also a big challenge, especially in the world of professional wrestling. Surprises are few and far between, authentic ones, ones that really catch people by surprise, and you get the response that you hope for, which clearly happened at Survivor Series. All that's left now is where does he go? What's the action like? I don't think there's any question we're going to see great action. Especially because there's a great story, and there's a lot of anticipation for who he's going to work with and what that storyline is gonna look like. I think Punk coming in at Survivor Series knocked it completely out of the park, which indicates to me that this is going be a very, very successful, long-term financially successful decision, provided that the wheels don't fall off because of personal issues.”
So, with all of that in mind, what does Bischoff expect from this second CM Punk run in WWE? Well, he discussed that, too, and both fans of the promotion and the Player/Coach should be very excited if it comes to fruition.
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Eric Bischoff believes the sky's the limit for CM Punk in WWE.
Discussing what the future could hold for CM Punk in WWE, Eric Bischoff let it be known that if the “Second City Saint” can buy into what WWE is doing, his second run with the promotion could even eclipse his first.
“I'm pretty sure Punk is going to… provided he wants to, motivation is the core of this, right? If Punk woke up and said, ‘Look, I want to have one more really, really good run,' and if he's willing to be a team player, I think he's going to be very successful in WWE,” Eric Bischoff said. “He's not going to be able to get away with the same kind of silliness, nor will he be exposed to the same kind of backstage environment that he was exposed to in AEW. He's going to have to learn to deal with a more corporate, structured environment. If he's willing, if his intentions are such that he really wants to make this work and be a team player, I think his second run will be better than his first in WWE.”
Whoa, considering CM Punk's first run in WWE was so good it led to chants for his return for the better part of a decade, it's safe to say he has a pretty high bar to clear when he returned to the promotion last month. Still, with Paul “Triple H” Levesque now calling the shots, it's hard to argue that he won't be put in a position to succeed, as the duo together should be able to craft some magic that fans of all ages can enjoy.
