WWE announced CM Punk for Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center on July 19 during the June 12 SmackDown broadcast, after weeks off TV since WrestleMania.
Punk has been off WWE programming since the Raw after WrestleMania on April 20. On that show, he said he was staying ready and not going on vacation.
His absence has run long enough that rumors circulated about backstage tension and a possible AEW return, though other reports pushed back on that talk. The Fanatics Fest booking could signal WWE still has plans for Punk outside the AEW rumor cycle.
There is no confirmed word yet on when Punk might be back on Raw or SmackDown.
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