WWE Universe was rocked exactly one year ago today as CM Punk made his long-awaited return to the company, not long after his controversial run with AEW ended. One big name that has remained close to Punk over the years is Steve Austin, and now we have a rare opportunity to look at a private exchange between the two.
Stone Cold and the rest of the wrestling world watched one year ago as the Allstate Arena near Chicago erupted at the hometown comeback of CM Punk. The return came as the PLE was going off the air, right after the Men's WarGames main event that saw Team Cody Rhodes defeat Team Judgment Day. Punk had been in contact with some people that day, including Austin.
The Second City Saint marked the first anniversary of his WWE return on social media today. Punk took to Instagram Stories to share screenshots of his text messages with Austin on the big day. He revealed how Austin reacted to his return pop.
"God**m. That was a f*****g monster pop. Maybe the loudest I've ever heard. Awesome! [biceps flex emoji x 3]," Steve Austin wrote to CM Punk.
Punk infamously walked out on WWE in January 2014 and stayed away from the industry for the most part until joining AEW in August 2021.
His contract was terminated amid controversy in September 2023, which opened the door for the Survivor Series comeback.
After almost a decade away, Triple H was instrumental in bringing CM Punk back to World Wrestling Entertainment.
The Chief Content Officer has revealed behind-the-scenes footage of Punk's return at Survivor Series 2023 one year ago. Triple H described this as the night that changed everything.
"The night that froze hell, broke the internet… and changed everything. Never-before-seen footage from @cmpunk’s return at last year’s #SurvivorSeries has been revealed. Watch it now on @wwe’s @youtube," Triple H wrote.
Punk last wrestled at Bad Blood in October, defeating Drew McIntyre inside Hell in a Cell. He will return to the ring at Survivor Series on Saturday, teaming with The OG Bloodline inside WarGames against The New Bloodline and Bronson Reed.