CM Punk WWE Return News: Former Wrestler's Long-time Pal Talks Possibility as His Second MMA Bout Looms
If CM Punk appears to have completely abandoned all interest to return to the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) ring, this is because he did.
His long-time friend and former manager Paul Heyman said in a recent interview with New York Post that a WWE comeback has long been off the table for Punk, who is now a mixed martial artist with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
"I don't think CM Punk cares one way or another what's going on in the world of sports entertainment," Heyman said, pointing out how the MMA fighter, whose real name is Phil Brooks, is one to dedicate "every aspect of his life" to achieving his goals and pursuing his passions.
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"His passions right now are quite obviously in mixed martial arts and I don't think he has a contingency plan in case of failure. I don't think failure is an option for Phil Brooks," Heyman said.
"I think he is intent on making a go of it in the mixed martial arts world and if it doesn't work out for him in UFC, I'm sure he would be looking at Bellator before he would be looking at a return to the wrestling ring," he went on to say.
That being said, it is safe to assume that CM Punk will not be the former wrestling superstar that was teased to pop by at the Mercedes Benz Superdome for Wrestlemania 34.
This does not come as a surprise though. CM Punk swore "never ever" to return WWE after the company fired him on his wedding day back in 2014. Several months prior to that, he did not appear on any Raw or Smackdown episodes even though he was advertised for some.
It turned out that he was suspended two months after walking out on Vince McMahon and Triple H, and that no one from WWE reached out to him after that suspension ended. Punk claimed that the company pressured him to wrestle despite a potentially fatal MRSA infection among many other health issues.
Although it looks like Punk's future does not include setting foot in the squared circle ever again, his WWE connection is completely gone as he pursues his MMA career.
Rumor has it that his second UFC fight will be at the UFC 225, which will take place in his hometown in Chicago on June 9. Punk's cryptic tweets around the time of the event's announcement seem to point to him returning to the octagon soon.
Punk's first and only UFC fight to his name so far took place in September 2016 with Mickey Gall. He lost in the first round by submission. In a recent tweet teasing his second bout, he vowed to score his first win soon.
Forbes believes that Punk's WWE history (there are wrestling fans who still follow his UFC pursuit and there are those who want to know how he'll fare as a UFC fighter), his second match, which will be against Mike Jackson, could very well be a box office hit.
