CM Punk visits Raw backstage last night, Vince McMahon reportedly instructed staff to ask Punk to leave

CM Punk visited Raw last night in Rosemont, Ill. First reported by PWInsider, Punk was backstage and hobnobbing with former colleagues. He reportedly did at least make eye contact with Paul Levesque and chatted with Miz and Tamina, among others. Reportedly Vince McMahon heard he was there and made the call to have officials ask Punk to leave, and Punk did.

It’s not clear what Punk’s motivation was or how Tony Khan and others AEW officials feel about it. Considering Punk was last seen in an AEW context ranting and venting about his company, his boss, and the EVPs followed by a backstage fight with the EVPs, and then was stripped of the AEW Title he had just won without his name being mentioned, anything Punk does in the public eye takes on a different tint than just any AEW wrestler paying a visit to say hi to friends when WWE visits their home base.

Khan might see this as a harmless non-factor to whatever the status of Punk is or he might see it as good for publicity or he might see it as a betrayal of trust and a sign he’s not loyal. These aren’t the types of matters that Khan has a history of addressing publicly or even privately in any content other than his most inner circle.

In additional context, Punk actually shared a flight with WWE personnel on his way back from Tampa to Chicago, so if there was interaction with some WWE people on that flight, it might have led to him feeling welcome backstage at Raw.

Several AEW and WWE sources we communicated with who know Punk well all had a negative view of Punk’s decision to visit Raw backstage, given the totality of his situation as being a contracted AEW wrestler who has been the center of controversy.