CM Punk spoke to ESPN earlier this month and revealed WWE had reached out to him around December 2020. Talks didn’t seem to go very far as Punk said the company “played games.”
“I remember one of the first things I ever said to them was, ‘Above all, don’t play games,’” Punk recalled. “And they played games. Some things never change. … When you enter a conversation with people you have a past with and you know who they are, how seriously can you take it? I know exactly who they are and they just continue to prove it. I’m trying to be as diplomatic as I possibly can.”
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was noted FOX and Punk had a great relationship (thanks to his time on WWE Backstage) and FOX had pushed WWE to sign him. WWE initially said the money was too high to bring in someone like Punk, so FOX offer to help out with that to get him signed.
WWE officials then told FOX there were other reasons they didn’t want him, including attitude issues.
The report also said Punk and AEW President Tony Khan discussed money and storylines by February/March of this year.
Punk was the one to suggest his debut be at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Both he and Khan agreed not to specifically announce Punk’s arrival, but do enough to let ticket buying fans know that he would be there.
