CM Punk has revealed that former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's departure from the company paved the way for his return.
'The Second City Savior' spoke to Denise Salcedo at San Diego Comic Con and said that Vince McMahon being out of the picture was one of the factors for his comeback to the company after a decade.
No, because it was never a thing that I was yearning to do. There were a lot of things that had to happen for the pathway to kind of clear. The stars had to align. There had to be a full moon. A lot of dominoes fell in order for us to get here. There was a never a, 'Man, I'd really like to go back.'
He added:
Vince (McMahon) being out of the picture probably illuminated the way. That might have been one of the biggest things. That's both ways, for everybody who is going to sensationalize a headline. It wasn't me, it wasn't him, there's just a lot of history there. All of a sudden, one of us is removed from the equation, and I think it changed a lot of things.
Vince McMahon had stepped down from his roles in June 2022 after it came to light that he was involved in a hush-money scandal with former WWE employees. He returned the following year as executive chairman of the TKO Group Holdings. However, he left WWE yet again earlier this year due to Janel Grant’s lawsuit which alleged abuse and trafficking.
Meanwhile, CM Punk returned to WWE last year at WWE Survivor Series and shocked the pro wrestling fraternity. During the interview, Punk also stated that he knew his surprise return would be a big deal. The former WWE Champion competed in his first WWE match in almost ten years at the 2024 Royal Rumble. Unfortunately, he suffered torn tricep during the match and has been on the shelf ever since.
The former WWE Champion is set to make his comeback at next month's SummerSlam where he will face his arch-rival Drew McIntyre. It was also recently announced that Seth Rollins will serve as the Special Guest Referee.
