CM Punk understands the importance of giving back to the audience, especially after they waited for his return to wrestling for seven years.
Today, CM Punk is back in WWE and happy to be there. However, after he walked out on WWE in 2014, it took him seven years before he returned to wrestling at AEW Rampage: The First Dance. That night, after he thrilled the crowd in the United Center with his first promo in seven years, he informed the audience that they could get ice cream bars when leaving the building as a thank you from him for all of their patience.
During an appearance on No-Contest Wrestling, Punk reflected on that treat for the Chicago audience in the summer of 2021 and said he spent $40,000 on ice cream bars for them.
"What helped all of that is, anytime they’re in Chicago (there are rumors). That is precisely why I spent $40,000 on ice cream bars when I came back in 2021. That was a legit thank you. Thank you for seven years of chanting my name. I do have a little bit of sympathy and empathy for the people in the ring when that was going on, and I do think a lot of the sourness and hard feelings some people have for me is because of that. They’re busting their ass and [the crowd] is chanting for me. That’s one of those where, I wouldn’t be anywhere, and I wouldn’t be back here, if it wasn’t for great many circumstances. One of them is the fans, especially in Chicago, but worldwide."
Punk continues to do that to this day. He recently bought pizza for the entire crowd at the NXT on CW premiere in Chicago.
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