CM Punk has repeatedly stated if he would ever return to professional wrestling it would not be for his previous employer, WWE. Now he has a offer and a decision to make.
The former WWE Champion was offered $1 million by United Kingdom promotion 5 Star Wrestling to compete in their 128-man tournament which begins on June 10 in Liverpool. The tournament features former WWE stars John Morrison and Rey Mysterio.
5 Star Wrestling promoter Daniel Hinkles talked to The Sun about his pursuit of the former wrestling star and wanting him involved in the tournament.
"We've been trying to contact CM Punk on and off for well over a year," Hinkles told The Sun. "We wanted him on the first show we did in Edinburgh in 2015. I've tried going through friends in the industry, I've gone through his website and sent dozens of emails but the opportunity has never been this big. We want to offer CM Punk $1 million dollars (£770,000) to come and join the 5 Star Wrestling tour starting June 10th. It's a genuine offer. We'd love to hear back from the man himself. We want to do this with him."
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Hinkles explained that he would let Punk continue to focus on his MMA endeavor but is wants to give the fans of 5 Star Wrestling and the wrestling world a moment to remember.
"It doesn't get more credible than CM Punk," Hinkles continued. "We all know that if he ever comes back to wrestling it will be one of those epic moments — I want that to be with 5 Star Wrestling, right here in the UK.
"A common saying in the wrestling world is that the UK has the best fans, well how about we give them the biggest moments too. We are hugely ambitious. When we ask the fans who they want to see, CM Punk's name is on everybody's wish list and we're willing to spend big to make it happen. I know he is seemingly focused on MMA at the moment and this wouldn't have to end that, but wrestling is in his blood and $1 million has to be worth thinking about."
Punk hasn't fought 134-second loss to Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September 2016. He's made it clear he wants to continue to fight in the UFC, but Dana White has been non-committal to the idea. Sources have told Sporting News that is unlikely Punk will fight again in the UFC and if he wants to continue MMA, it would have to be in a different promotion.
This appears to be a good of a time as any for Punk to return to sport which made him a household name. He walked away from WWE in Jan. 2014 after meeting with chairman Vince McMahon.
11 dates for a million dollars isn't too bad in the slightest bit. His name still gets chanted at a majority of the televised WWE shows. Wrestling fans still care about him and want him to return to the squared circle.
He's the biggest fish in the pond of available talent. It's inevitable he will come back to wrestling at some point. With his MMA future in serious doubt, this is a great time for the self-proclaimed "Best in the World" to prove that he's still got it.
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, "The Fight Club Chicago," and subscribe on iTunes. You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
