Tonight’s Tribute to the Troops edition of SmackDown had a moment that all CM Punk fans were waiting for. Well, “The Second City Saint” came back to the blue brand, addressing thousands of fans and respected defense personnel in America. After his simplistic promo on RAW, a typical blunt CM Punk promo was what was served to the audience.

Shooting salvos at Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, Punk also subtly mentioned his AEW controversy. And, of course, the scenario became utterly intriguing to watch. So what happened next? Let’s find out.

CM Punk makes a subtle reference to controversial AEW exit on SmackDown

After nearly 10 years, the WWE universe saw CM Punk cut a promo on SmackDown. Wearing a black ‘Hell Froze Over’ T-shirt, he came there to give fans some hints about his prospects in WWE. However, the scene became interesting when he eventually referenced the AEW controversy that got him out of Tony Khan’s promotion.

As he mentioned Kevin Owens, he talked about him punching stars backstage. KO punched Theory and Grayson Waller in a segment backstage a few weeks ago. Subtly speaking on the incident at All In PPV in August he said, “Working with somebody who randomly punches people on the face backstage. I mean it’s 2023, ladies and gentlemen you just can’t be doing stuff like that. That’s insane.”

It seems that the 45-year-old will take some time to forget that altercation. Fans were waiting for Punk to talk about his AEW exit in some way on his return to WWE and they were not disappointed. But what led to Punk’s firing from AEW?

The backstage controversy at the AEW All In

CM Punk returned to the pro wrestling scene in 2021 when he joined AEW to shock the fans. However, he didn’t know that he would yet again fall prey to some more controversies. One of those got him terminated from the same promotion.

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Well, it happened on August 20, 2023, at AEW All In when Punk indulged in a backstage altercation with the ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry. The incident was sparked due to Perry taking a shot at Punk during the pre-show over the use of real glass in a match. Punk was then involved in a physical altercation with the star. It was later announced that the company terminated the contract with Punk, with Tony Khan announcing his departure.

It was because of this that the fans started speculating about Punk’s return to the Stamford-based promotion, and this time he didn’t disappoint his fans and came back. Now we have to see how things will go for the controversial star in the WWE. What do you make of CM Punk’s promo on SmackDown?

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