There have been speculations about CM Punk possibly making an appearance on this week’s WWE Smackdown which wasn’t the case. Heading into the show, PWInsider reported that the Survivor Series returnee wasn’t scheduled to be on the show. However, next week will be different where the Second City Saint will be on board for the blue brand episode which is going to be a special one.
The December 8 episode of WWE SmackDown will be the annual Tribute to the Troops special and it has received an additional attraction as none other than CM Punk will be present on the show. This will be his first appearance on the Friday night show since January 7, 2014.
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CM PUNK IS ON SMACKDOWN NEXT WEEK! 🚨#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/3pgl6Lu0NO
— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) December 2, 2023
Ringside News previously reported that CM Punk “is listed as a free agent, so if we need him to appear on a Smackdown, he can without trouble.” However, later it was noted that the top star “is assigned to RAW.” But since WWE hasn’t strictly followed the brand split rules since Triple H took things over, it makes sense as to why the company will utilize the presence of the returnee on FOX TV.
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WWE Smackdown: New contender’s tournament to begin, next week
Speaking of next week’s WWE Smackdown, a brand new tournament will begin on the show to determine the new number-one contender for the United States Championship. Santos Escobar, Dragon Lee, Karrion Kross, Bobby Lashley, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, Kevin Owens, and an unnamed NXT Superstar will take part in the tourney where the winner will receive a shot at Logan Paul’s coveted belt.
As for CM Punk, there’s no update on what he will be doing on WWE Smackdown as he’s essentially been pushed into a feud with Raw Superstar and the reigning World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Just after appearing at Survivor Series.
After returning to the WWE, the former champion has already made a lot of noise, and fans were overwhelmed by the promo that he delivered on Raw. Things weren’t pipe-bomb-like as he didn’t mention his former employer, AEW.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, CM Punk entered into multiple nondisclosure agreements concerning public discussions about one another. A clear-cut distance will be maintained between the two parties,
“For those wondering or disappointed that Punk said nothing about AEW, it’s because both he and others have signed several NDAs regarding talking publicly about the other.”