With SmackDown set to premiere on Fox this Friday, Oct. 4, WWE is pulling out all the stops to make the show a massive success. Already confirmed to return to the show are The Rock, Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and more. One name that hasn't been confirmed, but has been in the rumor mill lately is CM Punk.
Punk reportedly tested on-camera for WWE Backstage, WWE's upcoming studio show that airs on Fox Sports 1 beginning Nov. 5. When asked about Punk potentially returning to the company, Triple H told the SI Media Podcast, "I've read about that as well....to be clear, Fox is doing this show and it's their show and it's something they are doing to talk about WWE Universe and everything going on in it. They have a long list of people they've been interviewing. As far as, for us, one of the things this company has shown is 'never say never.' If the opportunity is right for everybody and it's right for our fans, then we are willing to put the past behind us and move forward. I would say never say never, but that's also probably a long way from coming true. That's a little bit outside my purview."
Triple H and Punk famously didn't see eye-to-eye during Punk's WWE run with Punk referring to Triple H as the "doofus son-in-law," believing Triple H never "got" Punk. Meanwhile, Triple H reportedly thought Punk had a "soft ass."
Punk has sounded more open to the idea of returning to WWE in recent interviews, including at Starrcast when he said he would talk to WWE, if they called him. Punk recently appear on KROQ where he joked about having The Rock call him while on SmackDown this Friday. You can read Punk's full comments by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit SI Media podcast with a h/t to Fightful for the transcription.
