CM Punk didn’t just come back, win the title, and move on. WWE may have been setting up SmackDown around him before fans even realized it.
While speaking during a Self Made Session, Self Made Pro claimed some of WWE’s recent SmackDown roster moves were made with Punk’s future programs in mind. The way he explained it, WWE wasn’t only thinking about Punk’s next opponent. They were looking at how the roster would work once Punk landed there.
“Punk’s going to be on SmackDown. I was told straight up… some of WWE’s roster construction recently in recent months for SmackDown was done with the mentality of, ‘How does this roster fit with CM Punk?’”
That makes a lot of recent movement look different. Punk just beat Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship in Chicago after Sami held the title for only nine days. Now, if this report is accurate, WWE may have already been moving names onto SmackDown to make sure Punk had the right people around him once he got there.
Finn Bálor was one of the names mentioned. Self Made Pro also brought up Ricky Saints and Gunther as names tied to that setup.
“That’s why Finn Balor was moved to SmackDown. Punk is a huge fan of him. That’s why… Ricky Saints are on SmackDown… it’s also why Gunther’s on the show. Punk does like working with Gunther.”
Of course, that raises the obvious question. Is Punk actually getting that much say? Self Made Pro pushed back on that idea and said this is not supposed to be another AEW Collision situation, where people accused Punk of having too much control behind the scenes.
“Someone asked me yesterday like, ‘Is it going to be like Collision?’ I don’t think. No, I don’t think it’s gonna be one of those things where Punk’s like, ‘Yo, everybody clear out. I’m booking.’”
The way he explained it, Punk may have influence over his own segments and the people he works with, but that does not mean he is booking the whole brand. Then he made the point again. Punk may get certain names around him, but this is not him running SmackDown.
“At best, this is going to have fingerprints. Meaning just Punk’s segments will be Punk’s… Like that’s going to be his segment, you know? And he’ll probably pull people into his sphere like, ‘Hey, I want to use this guy, that guy.’ That’s what the Finn Balor thing was. That was him pulling him in, you know? So, you’ll get that, but it’s not going to be a fully booked thing by him.”
This comes after Punk’s title win already had fans arguing. Sami Zayn finally became champion, held the belt for nine days, and then dropped it to Punk the moment WWE was ready to bring him back into the title picture.
Now this report makes the whole thing feel even more planned out. Punk got the championship, and SmackDown may already have the names WWE wants him working with next. If that is the case, Punk’s return is not just about one big Chicago title win. WWE may already be building his next run with Cody Rhodes, Finn Bálor, Ricky Saints, Gunther, and whoever else ends up getting pulled into his path.
Do you think WWE should build SmackDown around CM Punk, or should the brand focus more on creating new stars? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
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