CM Punk made his return to pro wrestling at an MKE independent event in Wisconsin, Friday night.
Punk appeared on the show under a mask, and did a run-in during an Ace Steel vs. Daryck St. Holmes bout.
Silas Young, and a Reddit user claiming to own the MKE promotion, confirmed that it was Punk under the hood in this Reddit thread.
Punk, delivered a GTS to St. Holmes at the behest of Dave Prazak, as seen in the video below.
CM Punk Returns To Wrestling At MKE
Young furthered the idea that it was Punk on his Twitter account on Saturday. Young can also be spotted in the above video, filming the angle.
Punk, Steel, and Prazak are friends from the Midwest indy scene, dating back two decades. Friday’s MKE show was the last wrestling event that will be held in the St. West Allis, Wisconsin Knights of Columbus hall.
Further Evidence Of CM Punk Return
For those still skeptical as to whether or not this was actually Punk, there is further evidence.
Punk was spotted at a Brazilian jiu-jitsu or amateur wrestling tournament in West St. Allis the same day, where he took a photo with a fan.
The masked man doing the run-in happens to be wearing the same clothes that Punk wore that day.
Additionally, Punk liked several tweets regarding the show.
The promoter, who uses the name Bergerzar, had this to say regarding Punk’s return.
“Personally I’m extremely grateful that he did this because it’s helping get eyes on what we’ve been quietly doing here in Milwaukee,” Bergezar wrote.
“We didn’t plan this, we booked everybody we could think of (and also actually taking bookings) that had a history with this building before it closes.”
Bergezar goes on to credit Punk’s connection with Steel and Prazak as the key to pulling off the surprise.
Not The First Time?
Barstool Sports personality Robbie Fox claims that this is not the first time that Punk has made a wrestling appearance under a mask in recent years.
According to Fox, video of some of Punk’s earlier stunts might have been included in Colt Cabana’s Wrestling Road Diaries 3, if not for Punk and Cabana’s falling out.
If Fox is correct, Friday’s appearance is not Punk’s first appearance in five years, but just his first that has become public knowledge.
Analysis
Punk remains a popular figure among wrestling fans, as evidenced by his name still being chanted on a regular basis at WWE events, more than five years after his departure.
This was more than likely just a case of Punk doing a favor for some old friends in a building he wrestled in on his way up.
At the same time, with a new promotion set to launch in North America, WWE in need of star power ahead of Smackdown’s move to FOX this year, and the globalization of the wrestling business thanks to streaming services, Punk’s wrestling services have likely never been in higher demand.
According to the MKE promoter, Punk is likely aware of this, and aware that this would cause a ruckus.
“I certainly can’t speak for the man but I’d have to assume he knew this would create some buzz,” wrote Bergerzar.
And so it has. Never say never.
What do you think of CM Punk’s return to wrestling?
