CM Punk’s WWE comeback has been under speculation ever since he was released by All Elite Wrestling, this summer. Most of the wrestling pundits and sources opined that WWE won’t take the risk of bringing him back as this might not have any additional impact on TV. Now that he has returned, the positive impact of his recent appearances is being felt and he’s also being touted to play a big role in WWE’s television deal.
CM Punk has officially signed with the WWE Raw brand whose rights for a television deal will be up, next year and its next move is yet to be declared. Recently, WWE informed us that NXT will begin on The CW and SmackDown will move to The USA network. Both deals will start in October 2024 while WWE’s flagship show is yet to secure a deal.
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Dave Meltzer from Wrestling Observer stirred things up in the rumor mill with a post on social media by noting that CM Punk’s return could have a financial impact on the deal that Monday Night Raw is about to have with its future broadcaster. After all, The Straight Edge Savior is bringing a lot of eyes to the product,
“Things are changing greatly. Let’s just say things changed greatly with Raw negotiations from a few weeks ago. And Punk is a huge part of the selling point.”
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CM Punk already drawing views and merchs on behalf of WWE
CM Punk garnered attention after his AEW return and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslov gave him the nickname “One Bill Phil.” This essentially suggested that he was able to secure a one-billion-dollar TV rights deal on behalf of the company. WWE currently has him under their banner and they would like to make as much profit as they could receive.
According to the reports PWInsider, CM Punk’s merch sales were in 6 figures on the night of his return to WWE. This was the night of the Survivor Series 2023 premium live event where he walked into the All-State Arena in Chicago, Illinois after the WarGames main event was over. That moment created a record to be the most socially active return of all time.
