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00:00When CM Punk returned to WWE after a decade-long absence in his hometown of Chicago,
00:20it created one of the most memorable moments in recent history.
00:25Comebacks strike at the very core of the emotionality that defines world wrestling entertainment.
00:35This is the epitome of pop culture, the pinnacle of entertainment.
00:42The electricity that's in the air, you could cut it with a knife.
00:45What an amazing environment. A larger-than-life spectacle.
00:51The action, the drama, the pure entertainment.
00:57This is an incredible moment!
00:59Nothing compares to WWE.
01:03Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Stephanie McMahon!
01:12As long as I can remember, WWE has been a constant.
01:17I had the privilege of growing up in the business off-camera and then becoming a villain on-camera.
01:25I would appreciate it if all of you would show me the respect that I deserve.
01:31I also served as chair and co-CEO of WWE before stepping away in 2023 to focus on the people that I love, my family.
01:44While I was away, WWE opened their brand-new world headquarters designed to bring the WWE brand to life.
01:56This is going to be interesting. Turn to your left now.
01:59You'll see a five-story...
02:00Having been a part of the initial design, I couldn't wait to see the main lobby.
02:06So the blue wall is no longer going to be blue.
02:09When you come in, you're going to be right at his shoelaces.
02:12Welcome.
02:14Welcome.
02:15Welcome.
02:16You nailed it. So beautiful.
02:23I walked in and there he was, Andre the Giant.
02:30He came out so great.
02:33And he welcomed me with open arms.
02:38There was no question what we were going to put here. It was always Andre.
02:42He fully represents the notion of magic coming to life.
02:49The eighth wonder of the world, Andre the Giant.
02:59I mean, he was a true giant in every way and had a giant heart, which also is so important to represent WWE.
03:10I'm Stephanie McMahon and I love WWE.
03:15Stephanie McMahon!
03:19I'm on a quest to hear the stories behind the biggest superstars and legends in WWE history.
03:25Here we go.
03:27So come join me on the trip of a lifetime.
03:31I was a little overwhelmed by my return to the new HQ.
03:44Hi.
03:45We miss you so much.
03:47It's so nice to see you.
03:48I miss everybody.
03:49But getting to see my former colleagues and friends filled my heart.
03:54That's Dusty Rhodes and my grandfather.
03:57WWE is built on hope.
04:00This place is rocking!
04:02The inspiration and sheer entertainment it provides to so many.
04:11This is surreal!
04:14I have got chills!
04:16Six years away from the WWE, the prodigal son has returned!
04:24Cody Rhodes!
04:29For our fans, it doesn't get much better than a surprise return of their favorite superstar.
04:35Through the years, there have been multiple reasons for a WWE superstar to leave the squared circle.
04:46Only to return to the surprise and delight of the audience.
04:50Like when fans lost their minds as John Cena made an early return from injury at the Royal Rumble.
04:57Wait a minute!
04:59It's John Cena!
05:02Hang up!
05:03Or sometimes...
05:08A return sparks a heralded rivalry.
05:11Holy Christ!
05:14Undertaker's back at WrestleMania!
05:22The new building blew me away.
05:25But there was no one I wanted to see more than my husband, Paul Triple H Levesque.
05:31He's not only a WWE Hall of Famer, Class of 2025.
05:36He's the chief content officer, responsible for the storylines and characters WWE fans love.
05:44Head baby.
05:46Come here often?
05:47No.
05:48First time?
05:49It's my first time.
05:50So we're doing an episode based all about returns and...
05:54Returns are scary.
05:56For me, when I got injured with my first quad tear, I was out nine months.
06:02So I remember this because I was with you.
06:04Yeah.
06:05It was the first time that I had ever seen you have a moment of doubt.
06:11And so here I am.
06:12I'm all in love with you and everything.
06:14And still am very much.
06:16And you told me you were nervous.
06:20That they weren't gonna care.
06:21So when it comes to big returns, that doubt hits everybody.
06:26Steve Austin pulled me aside that day at Madison Square Garden.
06:29He said, this place is so loud.
06:31Didn't chant your name all night long.
06:33You didn't blow the roof off this place.
06:34Forget that other bull .
06:36Which I didn't do.
06:37I stood at that curtain thinking, please give us, please give us, please give us.
06:41And then they erupted.
06:42Time to win the game.
06:43Time to win the game.
06:44Time to win the game.
06:45Time to win the game.
06:46Time to win the game.
06:47Time to win the game.
06:49Time to win the game.
06:50Time to win the game.
06:55This is as loud as any sustained roar are ever heard in Madison Square Garden.
07:03I remember it very, very well.
07:05Right.
07:06But I never doubted.
07:07Just so.
07:08I am the game.
07:11And you can bet your ass on back.
07:16There was a specific return I wanted to talk to him about.
07:23The return of the infamous Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk.
07:30I am the best in the world.
07:35Punk started his ascent to WWE superstardom in 2006.
07:40CM Punk, he's got that it factor.
07:43Just looks like a star.
07:44I just, there's something about him I like.
07:45CM Punk made his way to the mountaintop.
07:48Going on a record 434 day run as WWE Champion.
07:54Until his reign came to an end in 2013.
07:58He's gonna be in the conversation when you talk about the best ever.
08:02He already is.
08:03I get in trouble because I have the balls to say things that nobody else has the balls to say.
08:11Punk has always been brash.
08:16Come to find out the CM originally stood for Chick Magnet.
08:20His outspoken nature is what made him a fan favorite.
08:24Highlighted by a moment that changed the direction of the business and more than ruffled a few feathers.
08:30A moment known as the pipe bomb.
08:34I have a lot of things I want to get off my chest.
08:39I've been the best ever since day one.
08:41No matter how many times I prove it.
08:43I'm barely promoted.
08:44I'm not on your lovely little collector cups.
08:47I'm not on the cover of the program.
08:49Oops, I'm breaking the fourth wall.
08:52Creative differences began to intensify between CM Punk and WWE, resulting in Punk leaving the company entirely in 2014.
09:05The relationship was beyond repair, making his return seem impossible.
09:12If there was ever a guy you said will never return here, it would be CM Punk.
09:17Right?
09:18Just, if you look at the history and you look at everything that's gone down his side, company's side, I think he would have said it a couple of years ago.
09:28It's never happening.
09:29But things change.
09:31When I spoke to him on the phone, I said, Phil, if you're the same person now that you were 10 years ago, you wasted 10 years of your life.
09:39If I'm that same person, I wasted 10 years of my life.
09:42So let's put all that stuff beside us and talk about what are the possibilities.
09:46We snuck him into that building.
09:48The contract wasn't done yet.
09:51Like, all that stuff was happening in real time.
09:55I guarantee you, CM Punk, they would say often in this movie, you couldn't drive a 10-penny nail up his ass with a sledgehammer.
10:01He, I guarantee you, he was beside himself with doubt.
10:07Well, we're heading into SummerSlam.
10:09So for me, this event above everything else will be fun, but it will be amazing to have Punk's return there.
10:20CM Punk's first singles match was going to be at SummerSlam in Cleveland, Ohio.
10:26So that's where I went, to sit with the man himself and learn the story of CM Punk.
10:34I was really looking forward to it.
10:36I'm glad to be here.
10:38Glad to have you here.
10:39I don't know that it's my place to welcome you home anymore, but welcome home.
10:45It is.
10:46I think it very, I think it very much is because I think this in a way is, is cathartic.
10:51It certainly is for me.
10:52I, I hope it is for you too.
10:54I only ever wish good things for you, honestly.
10:58I appreciate it.
10:59So why does it mean so much to our fans, the big return?
11:05Why is the big return or a surprise return so important and so impactful to our audience?
11:12Man, I, I think there's no job like this in the world.
11:16Best job on earth.
11:18It's not a return!
11:22Fans attach themselves to people for sometimes unknown reasons.
11:28But the comeback, it's always about that comeback.
11:33They want to see the redemption arc.
11:36They want to see people rise and do great things.
11:39The WWE Universe has always been some of the most fierce and loyal and passionate fans in sports.
11:48Punk's done it! Punk's the champion!
11:51I don't think people wanted me to leave 10 years ago.
11:56Back to the Raw!
11:59Any more than I wanted to leave.
12:01In January 2014, during a Monday Night Raw, in Cleveland, CM Punk quit WWE.
12:11Two years later, Punk returned to the very same arena, facing a new challenge.
12:18This time, in a different sport.
12:20The UFC.
12:22First UFC fight, Cleveland.
12:25We know how that went.
12:26CM Punk's in a lot of trouble right away, Mike.
12:29Yep.
12:30I think that's it.
12:31It is all over!
12:32CM Punk lost his debut match in two minutes and 14 seconds.
12:38But he took something away from that night.
12:41Doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down, it's about getting back up.
12:45But the true failure in life is not trying at all.
12:48This is the time of my life. Thank you, Cleveland.
12:51You made a comment about UFC, and there was a correlation to your return to WWE.
13:00And what you said was that it scared the crap out of you, which is why you had to do it.
13:06Yeah.
13:07What is it about that fear that drives you?
13:10Everything else is the easy way out.
13:13And I don't think you learn anything, and I don't think you grow.
13:18There is no reward without the risk, you know?
13:21And fortune favors the bold, so.
13:23The flip side to that is you fall on your face a lot.
13:26And I think the older and the wiser you get, that a lot of things are just on-the-job training.
13:32When are you ever ready to do anything?
13:34Were you ready to be a mom?
13:35Nope.
13:36Scared to death the whole time.
13:38Yeah.
13:39The more frequently I've applied that in my life, this is terrifying.
13:43Well, just do it.
13:45You have to try new and different things, and you'll never know what's gonna happen.
13:50It's fascinating for me to sit here and talk to you about this stuff,
13:55because you were married to somebody I had a contentious relationship with.
14:00This isn't CM Punk talking to Triple H, this is Phil Brooks talking to Paul Levesque.
14:05No one was safe when CM Punk had a microphone.
14:10Triple H and I know firsthand.
14:12I mean, your wife's the one who runs the show around here anyway, right?
14:16Your bean-headed wife.
14:18You don't wear the pants in the family.
14:20I never forgot those words, and don't worry, I fired back.
14:29So if you guys could keep that up for about two minutes and 15 seconds, you'd last one second longer than Punk did.
14:39I certainly made mistakes.
14:43I certainly did dumb things.
14:46I certainly was a schmuck.
14:48And I think there was some stuff that was, you know, unfair, unjust, whatever.
14:52Sure.
14:53The broader spectrum.
14:54We're talking about how many countries we're in worldwide and the millions of people around the world.
14:59They just know that one day I was gone.
15:01It's for you.
15:02CM Punk had put his wrestling career behind him, and he made it known.
15:07Do you think there's ever a chance we'll see you back in a squared circle?
15:11No.
15:12Never?
15:13No.
15:14Wow.
15:15Never, never, ever, ever.
15:16Look, man, guys, it's open.
15:18It's done.
15:19It's great.
15:20I don't wanna wrestle anymore.
15:22Between his long absence and a contentious relationship with the company, a return seemed unimaginable.
15:35You are looking live at a sold-out All-State Arena in Chicago for Survivor Series.
15:42But with a major WWE event in his hometown of Chicago and internet rumors of a reunion, fans were hopeful the night would end with the shock of a lifetime.
15:57Thanksgiving, I'm on a Zoom with your husband, probably having a conversation that we should have had 10 years ago.
16:03And I'm telling him, like, hey, Dad, don't worry about it.
16:06Like, go cut the turkey.
16:07Go spend time with your family.
16:08And he's like, no, this is, we gotta do this.
16:10And I-
16:11Oh, so it's your fault.
16:12Yeah.
16:13100%.
16:14100%.
16:15I ruined, I ruined turkey day.
16:18You know, I think everything came together so fast.
16:20I was still unsure of a lot of stuff.
16:23And there definitely is that part of a performer's brain.
16:26Yeah, there was that, oh, they're gonna remember me.
16:29Are they gonna care?
16:30I think me and your husband are way more similar than maybe even today we wanna admit.
16:35I felt it was gonna be a big deal.
16:40And then that wash over me, I think you saw was-
16:44Right before you go through?
16:45Oh, this is way bigger of a deal than I thought of.
16:48Okay, all right.
16:50We got something here.
16:51I was there and I could see the nerves on Punk's face.
16:56And as the show was coming to a close, it happened.
17:01I was there and I could see the nerves on the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the side of the
17:31the fans made this return so huge because it was just one of those things I was the last guy now
17:44right who's never gonna go back oh it's gonna be CM Punk he's never gonna go back
17:48we can do things as great as all these gigantic iconic sports figures to me me coming back
18:01in Chicago and getting that kind of response just proves it I left a huge part of me in that moment
18:12I'm tethered to it so I can constantly relive it and be there just two months after his monumental
18:24return to WWE CM Punk sustained a devastating injury he suffered a torn tricep and was out indefinitely
18:45but after surgery and six months of rehab Punk was ready and that brings us back to Cleveland
18:58oh this is a new hoodie cool cool I'll have to get one now I'm gonna go well you know you know guy I do
19:10appreciate you appreciate you thank you very much have fun thank you take it in as Punk was getting
19:15ready for his match I walked out into Cleveland Browns Stadium to join 50,000 of my fellow fans
19:23for the first time in a very long time I was there to take it all in
19:31well guys look who's here live at SummerSlam sit up straight gentlemen Stephanie McMahon is here
19:38enjoying the show wouldn't be SummerSlam without Steph hell yes great to see you boss
19:43Cleveland are you ready
20:03thank you for the opportunity
20:10it was in this town of Cleveland back in 2014
20:29where CM Punk would walk out of WWE for a decade now Punk is back
20:37big fight feel electric atmosphere and here we go
20:42CM Punk looks good he's moving good
20:46this could be the biggest match of his career
20:49as he looks to move the critics wrong
20:52broken foot in his career he's torn both triceps
20:56even after the injury in the years away Punk showed the WWE Universe why he is known as the best in the world
21:05cover to pocket two and a half how can CM Punk take all of this and still find enough to kick out
21:14but most importantly CM Punk was right back where he belonged
21:27McIntyre with a play bar McIntyre with the win
21:33it's hard not to feel bad for CM Punk tonight he put everything into getting back in the ring but in the end
21:43Drew McIntyre walks out with the victory
21:46welcome back I seriously appreciate it
21:59welcome back I seriously appreciate it
22:11yeah I'm having a I'm having a cry right now so yeah
22:23want to do it
22:24uh yeah yeah I'm really happy right now
22:29do you feel your fortune turned in Cleveland
22:32yeah 100% you know obviously I lost
22:35uh but man my favorite baseball team is called the lovable losers for a reason so
22:41and I didn't tear anything you didn't tear anything
22:44if your dreams do not scare the out of you you need bigger dreams
22:49you give us all a lot to be inspired by thank you so much
22:52what's the out on this are you gonna hug me
22:54gonna hug you again all right big sweaty hug
22:56he loves to do this he used to do this all the time
22:59I love doing this he loves to give me the gross sweaty hug
23:01now we're all right now it's weird punk yes thank you congratulations
23:07thank you
23:18it's been amazing to uncover the emotional beats of a return from doubt and uncertainty to shock gratitude and awe
23:27I've learned that the comeback is one of the most powerful moments in sports and entertainment
23:33perhaps even strong enough to break the internet
23:38there's nowhere else to go
23:43we think this is high for you to go
23:45as punk said if you aren't afraid then your dreams aren't big enough
23:53my dream has always been wwe and there was no better feeling than coming home
24:06the tour all right and we're walking we're walking oh my god I feel like I should not stare at that too long
24:13I think that'll be centered
24:15yeah
24:16nope a little bit more right there is that right
24:19that's perfect actually
24:20okay let me just open
24:21line that up yeah
24:22ahem
24:25now we split it
24:28this is my Vanna
24:30I used to play in a cast of his broken ankle
24:33and um it's really gross when you think about it
24:36because I really it was his real cast that I would play in and it would be like a body cast on me
24:41lots of Andre memories
24:43I can't stop looking at him
24:46oh the ring general
24:49oh yeah whenever they come in now they sign my request
24:52I love that
24:53that's so cool next time I come back it's gonna be
24:55I think we should ever sign it
24:57oh okay yeah
24:59this is my time
25:01oh this is super cool
25:08all right there's that
25:09immortalized
25:21Omaha