Why Did CM Punk Return to the WWE?

CM Punk kicked off last nights episode of Monday Night Raw. As Punk made his way to the ring he received a mixed reaction from the crowd. Punk entered the ring, grabbed a microphone, and sat down in the middle of the ring. Punk sat in the middle of the ring to answer the question "Why did he come back after the comments he made?". Punk knew for over a year that his contract would be expiring on July 17 ^th , 2011. This created a dilemma for Punk. He either could have sat back and resigned or try to change things for the better. Punk was able to change things for the better as HHH relived Vince McMahon of his duties on July 18 ^th , 2011. With McMahon gone Punk wants to continue giving the WWE Universe what they deserve. Punk wants to be the voice for the voiceless and let the WWE Universe hear what he has to say. The only problem was Punk could not do that sitting on his couch in Chicago. For that reason Punk picked up the phone and called the WWE about his return.

Punk was happy to return so soon because in his short absence John Cena has become WWE Champion once again. Punk was upset that a new Champion was crowned while he was gone. Even so he continued to inform the WWE Universe that he is the WWE Champion. As Punk continued to make his claim the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) HHH made his way to the ring.

As HHH entered the ring he grabbed a microphone so he could inform the WWE Universe on why he resigned CM Punk. HHH made it clear that Punk was brought back because it was good for business. Those were the same reasons for brining back Jim Ross and John Morrison. HHH claimed that the WWE Universe wanted Punk to return. As the new COO it is his job each and every week to try and give the WWE Universe what they want. So HHH put his personal feelings aside to sign CM Punk. This offended Punk as he wanted to know what HHH's personal feelings were about him. HHH tried to play it off but Punk wanted to hear what he had to say. So HHH let Punk have it calling him "smug, over rated, attention seeking, guy that puts a little bit to much stock in his own hype". Punk admitted that he was smug but it was not for him to say if he was over rated. Punk wished HHH would have said "that you hate my guts but you let everyone know what a commodity I am". Punk continued to talk about how Mr. McMahon surrounded himself with "Yes Men". The only thing those guys were good for was saying "yes". This caused Main Event Superstars like Batista, Mick Foley, Chris Jericho, and Brock Lesnar to leave the business. With all these departures Punk made it clear that HHH could not afford to see Punk go anywhere else because he is a commodity.

HHH agreed that Punk is a commodity but he wanted Punk to tell the WWE Universe his real reason for returning. Punk told HHH he already told the WWE Universe that he wanted to facilitate change. HHH saw the reasons for Punks return differently. HHH felt Punk returned for himself. Punk needed a platform to speak on the microphone (pipe bomb) because if no one was around to hear a pipe bomb go off it's worthless. HHH said "Punk needed the WWE Universe because without the WWE, your pipe bomb and you really mean nothing". Punk said "that is a big maybe that's fifty-fifty at best, and I don't like to hang his hat on maybes. I like facts, 100% truths. The truth is I'm the WWE Champion". HHH was quick to correct Punk by informing him that John Cena was WWE Champion as well and he would fix the problem later that night. As HHH prepared to exit the ring, he was stopped by Punk.

Punk's pipe bomb was about to go off and he wanted HHH around to hear what he had to say. Punk made it clear that even though he resigned he was not going to shut up, he was not going to spit out some PG script, he is not going to promo class, and he is not going to media training. Punk than went on to talk about HHH's ego. Punk wanted to talk about HHH stealing the spotlight from other Superstars who deserved it. Punk wanted to talk about when HHH was carrying HBK's bags how he would push people around and tell them what to do. Punk wanted HHH to answer the question "How many times do you tell people what to do?". Punk was quick to change his mind and wanted HHH to answer this question instead "How many times did you say 'well you know I just don't think he has what it takes while your lying in bed with your wife'?" Punk went on to say that "HHH is the same guy he has always been. A bully that likes to push people around". Punk let HHH know he should be careful about who he pushes because Punk likes to push back.

These comments angered HHH. He wanted to slap all the tattoos off Punk but he was not going to. HHH was not going to slap the tattoos off Punk because he became COO for the WWE Universe. Being the COO comes with rules and he was not going to break them out of respect. HHH strongly suggested that Punk does not break those rules either. Punk replied "Or what. You going to beat me up. You going to fight me. You going to punch me in the face. Or do you have to go ask your wife permission first?". After making those comments Punk dropped his pipe bomb and headed backstage.

Both men made valid points. HHH made the right decision in brining Punk back, it was good for business. In a recent article "Does CM Punk Have the Midas Touch?" it was noted that nearly all of Punk's merchandise was out of stock. This also proves Punk's point that he is a commodity. Even though Punk is a commodity, HHH made a great point when he said "Punk needed the WWE Universe because without the WWE, your pipe bomb and you really mean nothing". If Punk did sign with another company his WWE fans may not have gone with him. Punk could have gone back to TNA or Ring Of Honor (ROH). Neither of those places could provide Punk with as much exposure as the WWE. Sure TNA could put him on TV each week but the WWE fans who have never seen TNA before might tune out after a few weeks or never watch to begin with. Punk could have signed with ROH where he would have received even less exposure. Although ROH recently inked a TV deal, they will not be available world wide like the WWE. In the end Punk only had one choice on which company he could return to. That company was the WWE.