The one-year anniversary of CM Punk's shocking return to WWE is rapidly approaching, and it seems that the "Straight Edge Superstar" has been doing some reflecting on what has been a rollercoaster of a year. On "Cheap Heat," Punk argued that the only blemish on the year was his initial injury, but outside of that, it has been a year to remember.

"Aside from the whole triceps injury and surgery, we really turned chicken s*** into chicken salad with that one. Almost a little bit of a gift. I think people forget that I was hurt because I was such a focal point, just doing what we do, entertaining people. I don't want to grade myself, I leave that to the fans and my peers, and the people I work for. They can go ahead and grade it. I've had the time of my life, though, coming back. I weigh this past year up against any year of my entire career."

Many people eventually saw Punk's injury as a benefit to his lengthy feud with Drew McIntyre, as it prolonged their eventual showdown to the point where it was one of the most anticipated matches of SummerSlam 2024. Punk hasn't been seen on WWE TV since the end of his feud with McIntyre following Bad Blood, when he told WWE fans that he needed to go away for a while to heal up and be with his family. This did mean that he missed Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, but there have been many reports signaling that he could be back in the company by Survivor Series on November 30.

Please credit "Cheap Heat" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.