WWE fans have been chanting “CM Punk” at shows since the five-time World Champion turned 0-2 MMA fighter left the company back in 2014, hoping that one day the Straight Edge Superstar would give up writing comics and getting punched in the face for real and return to doing what he does best. Punk’s point of view on pro wrestling varies between “I’m done forever” and “maybe there’s still some stuff I could do” depending on when you ask him.
It turns out Punk’s glorious return to the sport wasn’t a surprise Royal Rumble appearance or popping up in All Elite Wrestling, but in a way few could’ve anticipated: as a masked man, doing a run-in on his friend’s independent wrestling show in front of a couple hundred people.
The following run-in happened on the April 19 show for Silas Young’s Wisconsin-based MKE Wrestling during a Daryck St. Holmes match. A mysteriously skinny-fat Waffle House cook-esque masked man showed up from out of nowhere, hit a Go To Sleep to cost St. Holmes the match, then disappeared out of the back door.
Who was this masked man who put @StHolmesEsq to sleep??? @DavePrazak @acesofsteel pic.twitter.com/o5Mcak3uIE
— MKE Wrestling (@MKE_Wrestling) April 20, 2019
Silas Young did everything he could to make the identity of the masked man as clear and obvious as possible:
Last night we held @MKE_Wrestling at the Knights of Columbus building in west allis the place was packed with 350 people. This place has had 25+ years of wrestling and is the place a lot of guys started. Guys like @ColtCabana as well as a Punk who showed up in a mask last night
— silas young (@lastrealmanROH) April 20, 2019
Here is some PUNK running in a match last night @MKE_Wrestling you never know who’s in gonna show up at our shows. Former world champions have been stopping in at the last couple shows!!! Don’t miss out on May 17 at our new home Buenavista Banquets 76&oklahoma next to AMF lanes https://t.co/rr8xVH8UJ0
— silas young (@lastrealmanROH) April 20, 2019
And if that’s not evidence enough, here’s a picture Punk took with a fan at a Milwaukee area high school wrestling tournament.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwfjnM6FSBG/
Sean Ross Sapp over at Fightful added another interesting note, mentioning that this is reportedly not the first time a masked version of Punk — sadly not the post-haircut Straight Edge Society version — has secretly taken part in an independent wrestling show.
A trusted source contacted us and said that this actually isn’t the first time it’s happened. Apparently Punk appeared under a hood at some point before his falling out with Colt Cabana, which would have been during the Wrestling Road Diaries 3 filming. We’re told that it was dropped from the final cut after Punk and Cabana’s issues developed.
I know it’s been a long time and there’s way too much drama, but … can Punk just be a pro wrestler again, wherever he wants to do it? That’d be pretty fun.
