CM Punk set for first SmackDown appearance since WWE return

CM Punk is set to make his first SmackDown appearance next week following his shock return to WWE.

WWE has confirmed that Punk will appear on the December 8 edition of SmackDown, which is its annual 'Tribute to the Troops' show.

It will mark the first time Punk has appeared on a 'Tribute to the Troops' show since 2013.

Related: Why Jade Cargill hasn't debuted for WWE yet

CM Punk made his return to WWE at last month's Survivor Series PLE in Chicago following the Men's War Games match.

His return came nearly a decade after he walked out of WWE following the 2014 Royal Rumble.

Since making his return last month Punk has appeared on Raw, though it has not been confirmed which brand he'll compete on going forward.

Punk's WWE return came after he was fired by AEW in September, following a backstage incident at All In.

Speaking at the post-Survivor Series press conference, Triple H revealed how Punk's shock WWE return came about.

Related: Will Ronda Rousey sign with AEW?

"This came together super quick, which I'm sure is why it stayed very tight," he said (via Comicbook.com).

"There was a lot of speculation at that point. It was nothing but speculation for most of the time there was speculation. It didn't really start to come to fruition until everybody stopped thinking it was going to happen and all of a sudden, it was happening."

Addressing past tensions he'd had with Punk, Triple H added: "A lot of time has gone by, almost 10 years right? And if you were the same person 10 years ago 10 years later, you messed up.

"Everybody grows, everybody changes. I'm a different person, he's a different person, and this is a different company, and we're all on the same even starting ground."

Catch up on Raw, Smackdown, NXT and all the big WWE action via the WWE Network or TNT Sports. US viewers can access the WWE Network via Peacock.

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