CM Punk Wouldn’t Be All Elite if the Blackhawks or Cubs Were Still Elite
Professional wrestling’s biggest Chicago sports fan finally returned to the squared circle seven long years after walking away from WWE. Since leaving wrestling, the Chicago Blackhawks won a third Stanley Cup in six years and the Chicago Cubs broke a 108 year curse and won the 2016 World Series. But in 2021 it looks like both teams are as far away from championships as they were when CM Punk was in Ring of Honor.
During the press conference after Friday night’s episode of AEW Rampage, we learned Punk and AEW President Tony Khan have been in talks for over 18 months about Punk’s wrestling return. That puts initial conversation around February 2020. So let’s take a look at the Blackhawks and Cubs last seven years.
One of the first public appearances Punk made after leaving WWE in January 2014 was at Wrigley Field. He sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in May 2014. He plugged that night’s Blackhawks vs. Kings playoff game before singing.
The 2014 Blackhawks and Cubs were both good and fun. One was good and one ways fun. The Hawks nearly made the Stanley Cup Finals, losing the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Kings in 7 games. To this day, Punk and the Kings mascot have a jovial Twitter feud/hatred. The Cubs were in their last season of rebuilding, Anthony Rizzo was already at first base and they drafted Kyle Schwarber in the 2014 draft. Good things were on the horizon.
2015 was a success for both the Blackhawks and Cubs. The Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup in six years. Punk got into another Twitter feud during the season, this time with Hulk Hogan. Obviously, Punk won that war when the Cup came to Chicago. He also got to be a guest analyst during the 2015 parade/rally celebration. The Cubs made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Punk even traveled to Pittsburgh for a playoff game with fellow pro wrestler and former friend Colt Cabana to see the Cubs upset the Pirates.
2016 was an amazing year for the Blackhawks and the greatest season in Chicago Cubs history. The Hawks’ Patrick Kane had the most regular season points in the NHL but the team was unfortunately eliminated in round 1 of the playoffs. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series and Punk, once again, got to be a guest analyst during a championship parade/rally.
2017 was a statistically great and somewhat heartbreaking season for both teams. The Blackhawks went into the playoffs with the number 1 seed yet lost to the number 8 Nashville Predators in a second consecutive first round exit. The Cubs were in a World Series celebration haze and nearly returned to the Fall Classic but fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
2018 was disappointing for the Blackhawks, missing the playoffs for the first time in nine years. At the start of the 2018-2019 season, they let go of head coach Joel Quenneville. The Cubs were on the same pate, just a couple years behind. The ball club once again made the playoffs, but were eliminated in the Wild Card game.
2019 was almost a rebuilding year for the Blackhawks, starting the season horribly but nearly making the playoffs with a stellar second half. The Cubs had a similar trajectory, playing with a shot of the post season until September 22, with only six games remaining in the season. Like the Blackhawks, they let go of the coach that brought them a championship, manager Joe Maddon. It was the first time since Punk left WWE that neither team made the playoffs. It was during the Cubs offseason and Blackhawks lowest point that Punk and Khan had initial talks.
The 2019-2020 Chicago Blackhawks were an average team, ending the season with a record of 32–30–8 and only made the playoffs because of an expanded playoff round robin due to Covid-19. If the playoffs started the day of the regular season halt, the Blackhawks would have missed the playoffs (they were six points behind the Predators and Canucks for the second Wild Card spot). The Cubs had a pretty good shortened Covid regular season but were swept out of the playoffs by the Miami Marlins. Once again, both seasons were dramatically altered due to Coronavirus. There were no fans during the Blackhawks playoff run or during any of the Cubs games.
Which brings us to 2021. At one point, the Chicago Cubs were a good team. They were in first place at the start of June. At the mid July All-Star break, they hovered around .500. By the end of month three core members of the 2016 World Series team, Anthony Rizzo (to the Yankees on July 29), Kris Bryant (to the Giants on July 30) and Javier Báez (to the Mets on July 30) were no longer Cubs. July 28 was the final time all three would be on the same team. July 28 also featured the announcement of The First Dance at the United Center.
CM Punk is a Chicago homer through and through. He didn’t want to miss any of the 2010 or 2013 Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Championship runs. There are multiple anecdotes from fellow wrestlers about Punk following along to hockey games of the early 2010’s Blackhawks during tapings of Monday Night Raw and at house shows. So when Punk walked away in January 2014 with multiple injuries and a new marriage on the horizon, why wouldn’t he follow along with his favorite teams? And seven years later, fully healed with both of your favorite teams in a rebuilding process, who wouldn’t want to return a happier version of what they love?
I love the same sports as CM Punk. I love the same teams as CM Punk. When the Cubs are in playoff contention, I find myself following along to every game. When the Blackhawks are in the playoffs, I’m watching every second of play. When both teams are rebuilding, it’s a hell of a lot easier to watch professional wrestling. I’m sure CM Punk feels the same way.
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