During his 83 Weeks podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff commented on the rumors of CM Punk potentially returning to WWE:

“I still think it’s a remote possibility. I’ve never come out and said, ‘There’s no way it’ll ever happen.’ I know better than that, for crying out loud. I’ve been involved in too many things that everybody thought would never happen. But I do feel that it’s extremely remote. One, just because logically, WWE doesn’t need him. Their business is strong. They’re selling out everywhere they go for TV. Their finances, each time they present them, they’re records. So I don’t know where the need would be. I certainly don’t believe it would be in Chicago this weekend. I just don’t. Because there’s definitely no need there. The tickets are already sold out. Why do it? Obviously, there’s a much bigger audience than just that audience in Chicago, but again, I’ll go back to what I stated. They don’t really need him. WWE doesn’t need it.

Now, Royal Rumble? Going into WrestleMania, I could buy that as a possibility because it makes sense, even though they don’t need Punk by any stretch of the imagination. There is absolutely zero need for him. However, getting that surge of momentum and that reaction that you know he would get, especially because of the nature of Royal Rumble, it’s just built for that kind of thing. The buzz going into WrestleMania, that’s a period of time when you want every bit of buzz you can get. I could see that happening. But I just don’t see it happening in Chicago. Now watch, it’ll fucking happen in Chicago.”