A top WWE star made a notable appearance backstage during the NXT live event in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, July 19.
CM Punk was in attendance for the show, having made a deliberate choice to remain in the city. His decision came after he fulfilled commentary duties for a Cage Fury Fighting Championships event in Tampa the previous night.
Cory Hays of PWNexus and BodySlam.net first reported Punk’s presence at the NXT show.
“CM Punk was backstage at tonight’s NXT live event in Tampa. He was in town after doing commentary on the Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC) show on Friday night and decided to stay in town and check out the NXT show #NXTTampa,” Hays wrote.
This is not the first time the Raw star has shown interest in the developmental brand. Since his return to WWE in November 2023, CM Punk has occasionally appeared on NXT programming and has also been seen behind the scenes at the Performance Center.