5 Dream scenarios for a CM Punk Return

It has been 6 years since we've last seen CM Punk in a WWE ring, as The Best in the World decided to leave WWE in 2013. Punk had stated "I was sick and hurt, and sick and tired, and burnt out, and I walked" to explain his reasoning for quitting the WWE. Punk was also wrestling with a staph infection on his back for three months, with his doctor claiming that Punk "could have died."

However, despite Punk's departure, there is no denying that the WWE Universe is yearning for him to return. The fans are constantly chanting Punk's name during matches and segment to this day. Punk has said that he would "never ever" return to wrestling again, but we've seen examples of legends such as Bret Hart and Steve Austin say the same thing after they left the WWF, and they eventually came back in a big way.

If Punk ever did return, it would ignite a huge fire in the WWE as we've never seen before. The ovation would be huge, and The Best in the World would immediately be a big draw. Here are five dream scenarios for a CM Punk return.

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#5 As a heel

The last time Punk turned heel was by attacking The Rock at Raw 1000 in 2012.

One possible idea for Punk to return to the WWE would be by having him immediately turn heel. If the WWE was to execute this in the best possible way, it would make perfect sense for Punk to target the biggest babyface in the WWE right now: AJ Styles. Seeing The Best in the World vs. The Phenomenal One would be a match that could headline any PPV, including WrestleMania.

The best way to build up a heel turn for CM Punk would be to have AJ Styles constantly drop hints that he is the face that runs the place, and he could always say that he is the best wrestler in the world. You could then have Punk brutally attack AJ Styles after a PPV match from out of nowhere to close any show.

This would immediately establish Punk as a heel, and he could justify his reasoning for attacking Styles by saying that The Phenomenal One was talking tough and trying to claim that he was the best wrestler in the world, but he doesn't agree with that because he is the one that has been living by that motto throughout his wrestling career.

Punk/Styles would be able to put on immense matches, as they could potentially bring out the brutal side of each other. Both men have also had the longest WWE Championship reigns of their era, and the fact that Punk held that title longer than Styles could be another statement that Punk could use to prove that he is the best wrestler in the world and not Styles.

#4 Part-time contract

Punk's stint in the MMA world during UFC was short, but UFC's schedule is a lot lighter than WWE's

The main reason why Punk left the WWE was that of the full-time schedule of always having to be on the road was clearly taking a toll on his body. We are seeing major draws such as Brock Lesnar and John Cena take part-time contracts so that they can also fulfill duties out of the ring, so why couldn't Punk do the same?

This would definitely be perfect for Punk's health because it would allow him to wrestle with a schedule that is more efficient for his body. It would also eliminate the possibility of overexposure to keep Punk fresh, and he would always remain a big deal each time he would make an appearance.

At UFC 181, Punk shocked the entire world by signing a multi-fight contract with the UFC. It was evident that Punk wanted to try something new, and one reason why he went to UFC was the fact that their schedule is a lot lighter than WWE's. Of course, Punk had to train hard for his MMA bouts, but he didn't constantly have to be on the road all the time in UFC, unlike WWE.

Having him only appear at the big 4 PPV events could be the best way to go, and you could maybe have him compete occasionally at the B-Level events if he is really needed. Opportunities to compete in other countries such as Saudi Arabia for a possible Crown Jewel event to win WWE's version of the World Cup, or even having him appear in Australia for The Super Show-Down could be possible.

Without a shadow of a doubt, if Punk ever returned, he would immediately be the biggest deal in the company. Protecting Punk's health with a lighter schedule could work wonders for him.

#3 Win the Royal Rumble 2019 match to challenge Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship

CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have had multiple matches in the WWE before.

Imagine seeing Daniel Bryan retain the WWE Championship against AJ Styles at Royal Rumble, only for CM Punk to make his return during the Royal Rumble 2019 match for him to go and win it? Seeing Punk vs. Bryan again could be the key to having Punk finally get what he always dreamed for: A WrestleMania main event match.

Having Punk return to SmackDown Live would be a very interesting move, as he could be one of the biggest faces alongside the likes of AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio. We have seen a babyface Punk against a heel Bryan before back in 2012, and despite the fact that they were consistent in putting on great matches, their feud was sometimes overshadowed with the addition of Kane and the involvement of AJ Lee.

With Bryan now officially on his own, he doesn't answer to anybody in the WWE anymore. But neither does Punk, and this rivalry could simply be about two former friends who are now bitter enemies. Punk has always been solid on the mic, whereas Bryan is a lot more comfortable during segments when he is competing as a heel, so the promos would definitely be gold.

The New Daniel Bryan could always mention how he did everything that Punk has ever dreamed of, such as main eventing WrestleMania when he defeated Batista & Randy Orton to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Punk could talk about how the only reason why Bryan was included in that main event was due to the power of the Yes Movement, and yet Bryan still turned on the fans by going against everything he stood for.

#2 Forming a new stable

Punk used to run The Straight Edge Society with Joey Mercury, Luke Gallows and Serena.

CM Punk has proven to be quality when he has run a stable, as we've seen before when he was the leader of The Straight Edge Society. He had also taken over the original Nexus to form The New Nexus.

There is no denying that Punk would be an excellent fit for factions such as The Undisputed Era, or if the WWE ever decided to create their own Bullet Club in form of Balor Club, it would be another intriguing move that would definitely create a power struggle if we had the likes of Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, AJ Styles, CM Punk and Finn Balor included in the stable.

However, having Punk form his own stable again would be a great way to go. It could consist of a group of superstars who aren't happy with their position in the WWE, and they all could feel like they've been let down by the WWE.

Having a tag team such as The Revival, and a rising competitor like Apollo Crews would be amazing as it could give these superstars a major boost by being involved in Punk's return storyline, and it could create a split later down the line with The Revival and Crews coming out of it as major stars. Having Crews by Punk's side could also help with Crews' character and mic skills.

Or you could go completely wild with the idea of a faction with an independent wrestling route. Having Punk return to Raw, and then seeing The Bar drafted to Raw as well in a Superstar Shake-Up could make way for Cesaro to turn on Sheamus to align himself with a returning Punk.

And then it would be a decent idea to finally bring up Kassius Ohno from NXT so that he can reunite The Kings of Wrestling with Cesaro whilst being aligned with Punk too. To complete the stable, including Sami Zayn as the future star would be great if you really wanted to create a revolution in the WWE.

#1 Rivalry with Triple H

Hunter and Punk have been involved in a match before.

Despite of all the ideas on this list, there simply isn't a more perfect one than to have Punk rekindle his rivalry against Triple H. We have seen the two men face each other before during The Summer of Punk back in 2011, as the two men clashed at Night of Champions only for Hunter to gain the win.

The McMahon Family are back on television, as they promised a change in the WWE, what would be a better way for Punk to return by immediately targetting them? Punk could highlight the hypocrisy in The McMahon Family's quest for something new in the WWE, as Punk was the man who had rallied for change first back when he dropped the Pipebomb, but nothing ever came out of it.

In order for this rivalry to occur, Hunter would clearly have to turn heel, but it is something that could be easily done as Triple H always adapts his character whenever it's needed, as we've seen before during the Stephanie/Hunter rivalry with Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle where he performed as a heel to get Rousey over.

There is definitely money to be made with Punk feuding with Hunter again, and the war of words that these two would have on the mic would be fantastic. This rivalry would be the perfect opportunity for Punk to justify his reasonings to the WWE Universe on why he had left the WWE.

On the other hand, Hunter could constantly berate Punk for how he took the easy way out by leaving the WWE, and then he moved onto MMA where he was the biggest flop in UFC's history. This would be a great way to create a sympathetic feud for Punk where the fans could easily get behind him, and one last match between Punk and Hunter with a possible stipulation such as Hell in a Cell or Last Man Standing would definitely be best for business.