Report: Why CM Punk Was Backstage At WWE Raw Revealed

In a shocking set of circumstances on Monday, April 24, CM Punk was backstage at the WWE's taping of Raw from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Punk reportedly spoke to The Miz and Triple H at the taping before he was told to leave the building, per the instructions of Vince McMahon. The belief within WWE was the 44-year-old was at the show because he wants to come back or as part of a publicity stunt.

In an update, PWInsider revealed that Punk was in Florida over the weekend doing commentary for Cage Fury Fighting Championships and ended up on the same flight to Chicago as several WWE talents and staff. Punk was sat next to some of the wrestlers, at which point he learned Raw was being taped at the Allstate Arena. He was later brought into the building by other WWE talents.

Punk wasn't hidden during his time in the building and he was in a common area in full view of anyone who went past. This caused Punk to bump into Triple H and after a brief interaction, Punk asked if it was okay for him to be there and if they could speak for two minutes if the WWE Chief Content Officer had the time. Triple H then went to check if it was alright for Punk to be at the venue with "the big guy", believed to be Vince McMahon.

Punk remained in the area and spoke to several talents, including The Miz and the two men spoke for some time, clearing up any issues they had in the past.

While WWE reportedly believe Punk was there because he wants to come back, that is not the case and he is under contract with AEW for a "lengthy" amount of time and can't legally negotiate with WWE. Punk instead is reportedly set to return to AEW on the as-yet-unannounced June 17 edition of AEW Collision, which will be the debut of the promotion's third TV show.

Instead, Punk was simply backstage at Raw because he found out the show was minutes away from his home and he "said the hell with it and went over to visit" on a whim. Someone under contract with WWE who saw Punk also said it appeared he was just trying to kill off any past heat he had with The Miz, which could have also been why he wanted to speak with Triple H too.