WWE Moving CM Punk To SmackDown Upon Return

“Is it great to be alive on a Friday night, or what?!”

CM Punk became a hot topic of discussion over the past week following speculation surrounding his absence from WWE television.

While some fans questioned why Punk disappeared shortly after publicly describing himself as someone who is at every show each week, the belief internally is that there is no cause for concern regarding his status.

According to reports, Punk was temporarily taken off television because WWE did not have immediate creative plans for him. The expectation has been that he would return once the company was ready to begin his next storyline.

As things currently stand, the plan is for Punk to return as part of the SmackDown brand. The move is said to be largely a roster-balancing decision, with Raw already featuring a stacked main-event scene that includes Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, The Usos, Jacob Fatu, Oba Femi, Logan Paul, and Bron Breakker.

SmackDown’s top-tier lineup currently revolves around Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Rhea Ripley, with Punk expected to join that mix alongside Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre.

A potential Rhodes vs. Punk program has also reportedly been discussed as a future direction.

There has also been speculation regarding a possible return on the July 6 episode of Raw in Chicago. While that event falls on the Raw brand rather than SmackDown, the specific show may not be as important as the location itself, as Chicago remains one of the most fitting cities for Punk to make his return appearance.

(H/T: Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com)