Only 58 seconds had passed before WWE wrestler CM Punk was interrupted by a fan.
Sitting at a restaurant in Chicago, the fan had glanced in Punk’s direction, trying to discern if that was really CM Punk. Once the fan knew it was Punk, the fan sheepishly tapped Punk, a Chicago native, on the right shoulder and wanted to let him know how big a fan he is.
Such is life for Punk in Chicago. The city and its superstar wrestler have been intertwined ever since Punk’s seminal Money in the Bank win in 2011 at the Allstate arena. To that point in his career, it was Punk’s seminal moment in what was later dubbed “The Summer of Punk,” and led to Punk’s ascent to the top of the industry.
Punk gained adoration amongst legions of wrestling fans for his truth-telling ways. He possesses an authenticity that has endeared him to wrestling fans for over a decade — no wrestler is better at eliciting genuine reactions out of fans like Punk.
There’s a synergy between Punk and Chicago fans. The love the city’s wrestling fans have for the hometown wrestler runs deep.
WWE usually holds its events at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. But WWE announced that tickets are on sale and the company is returning to the United Center on Feb. 28 for the first time since 1994 for its Elimination Chamber premium live event.
“[The Allstate Arena] is my favorite building to perform, but the United Center is Chicago proper,” Punk told the Sun-Times.
‘I just needed to go away’
Punk’s initial run ended in 2014, when he acrimoniously left the company due to physical exhaustion and frustration with the management in place.
Punk needed a break from WWE. And, he said, “They needed to be away from me as much as I needed to be away from them.”
Deafening “CM Punk!” chants filled WWE arenas over his 10-year absence from the company. But when Punk left WWE, he left the industry. Suddenly, the wrestler who was the harbinger of change was gone. But in Punk’s absence, his popularity soared.
Punk largely stayed away from professional wrestling after leaving WWE — though he did make appearances at Cubs and Blackhawks games. Seven years into his retirement, Punk returned to the industry when he signed with AEW. After nearly two years with the company, Punk parted ways with AEW in 2023 after behind-the-scenes issues and backstage fights.
But once his departure from AEW was announced, fans started fantasy booking his return to WWE, which took place at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 at the Allstate Arena.
The PLE had seemingly gone off the air until “Cult of Personality” — Punk’s theme song — belted through the arena, sending fans into pandemonium.
“It’s overwhelming,” Punk said of the fan reaction. “To have my name constantly chanted for whatever reason shows you the connection. I equate it to Derrick Rose. Chicagoans are excited about Derrick Rose because he’s a tremendous player, but he’s also from here. He’s one of us, so we relate to him.
“This entire run that I’m on is about fan service. It’s about paying back all the fans for sticking with me for so long.”
‘I get more joy out of other people’s success’
Going away is why Punk is able to savor this second run. He had to venture outside of the siloed confines of the WWE he left in 2024. But he also had to rediscover his life for wrestling and return to the company and to heal the wounds and “fix all that trauma.
“None of it would have been able to happen if I didn’t step out and get away,” Punk said.
But that time away allowed Punk to reflect on his wrestling path and journey. Many wrestlers grew up watching Punk, and now he’s in a position to give feedback and advice.
“What’s special about our business is that it’s such an individual and team effort,” Punk said. “I’m trying to let people grow and do their own thing, make their own mistakes and learn from them the same way I did.”
In his first promo on “Raw” after his 2023 return, he looked at the ringside camera and said, “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to make money.” But he’s “been doing all those things and making friends.”
“I get more joy out of other people’s success than I do my own at this stage,” Punk said.
‘This is everything I thought WWE should be’
John Cena has served as the face of WWE for over two decades and is entering his final months as a wrestler — he has said that 2025 would be his farwell tour. On paper, Cena and Punk seem like opposites. And in 2011, their stellar feud was based on the fact that Cena was the poster boy anointed by WWE, while Punk was the guy that fans championed. Cena represented the establishment against the rebellious Punk.
But in reality, the two wrestlers are similar in their dedication and passion as performers. When the two faced off for the last time earlier this year, it closed the book on two wrestlers most responsible for how the WWE product has grown and elevated into the mainstream throughout the 2010s.
“[Cena’s] a guy that is leaving this place better than when he found it,” Punk said. “Ten years ago, when I left, I didn’t know if the place was any better than when I found it. But I come back to it now, and I can say it’s 100% true, and I’ve had a lot of people tell me I’m part of the reason for that, so I’m here to continue doing that.
“John and I have both always strived to make wrestling and WWE a better place, and I like to think that we’re both doing that. I know he certainly has.”
Punk’s 2025 has already been eventful — headlining WrestleMania for the first time and wrestling with his wife, AJ Lee, who had her own reservations about returning to WWE — and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
“I keep having all these great moments,” Punk said. “[With] AJ being back, I don’t have the words to properly express how important and meaningful that is to me.
“It’s a different place, and it’s a different working environment. I never would have been able to convince her otherwise. She had to experience it for herself, and she’s a brave soul and decided to experience it for herself. And I think she’s finding in real time the way I did that this is everything that I ever thought WWE should be … not just for me, for everybody.”