CM Punk delivered a nostalgic surprise for the hometown crowd on September 26, entering the Allstate Arena in Chicago to Killswitch Engage’s “This Fire Burns” during WWE x AAA Worlds Collide. The song served as Punk’s WWE entrance theme early in his career, including during his Straight Edge Society run, and its return marked the first time fans had heard it accompany him in years, according to Fightful and Ringside News.
Punk paired the throwback theme with a matching visual callback, donning his Straight Edge Society-style lucha mask for the entrance, as reported by Fightful, eWrestlingNews and Wrestling Headlines. Ringside News noted that Punk had spent the past year insisting the theme was not coming back before doing exactly that in front of his hometown fans.
Worlds Collide, held at the Allstate Arena and streamed on YouTube, also featured a lucha tag match in which Mr. Iguana, La Parka, Adelicious and Mascarita Sagrada defeated The Vanity Project, the team of Brad Baylor and Ricky, according to Fightful’s event results coverage.
None of the outlets reporting on the entrance detailed whether Punk’s appearance was tied to a match on the card or a broader storyline development, and the supplied reports focus specifically on the theme song and mask reveal rather than any in-ring outcome involving Punk himself.
Sources
- Fightful: CM Punk Enters To ‘This Fire Burns’ At WWE x AAA Worlds Collide
- Fightful: WWE x AAA Worlds Collide Results (9/26)
- eWrestlingNews: CM Punk’s ‘This Fire Burns’ Theme Song + Mask Returns At WWE x AAA: Worlds Collide
- 411Mania: CM Punk Enters To ‘This Fire Burns’ At WWE x AAA Worlds Collide
- Ringside News: CM Punk Brings Back ‘This Fire Burns’ at WWE x AAA Worlds Collide
- Wrestling Headlines: CM Punk Surprises Chicago Fans With Blast From The Past, New Mask At WWE Worlds Collide
