Ever since CM Punk joined WWE Backstage on FS1, fans have held out hope that the former World Champion will make a storied return to the ring.

January will mark six years since CM Punk walked out on the company, due to health reasons as well as creative frustration. The ugly breakup with WWE was well-documented, and for a while, it felt as though a reunion would most likely never happen.

But having CM Punk join WWE Backstage was at least a nice potential starting point in getting him back into the ring. In fact, WWE is apparently hoping that the 41-year-old will do just that in the coming months.

According to WWE insider Brad Shepard, CM Punk is on their "wishlist of people" that WWE wants to "use between Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.

There's still plenty of time for WWE and CM Punk to discuss and work out a deal that would have him wrestle again. WrestleMania 36 in Tampa Bay is still four months away, after all.

Related: CM Punk Wants To See A "Loser Keeps Lana" Match At WrestleMania

But for what it's worth, Triple H was quick to shut down rumors of a CM Punk return during an NXT conference call two weeks ago - merely pointing out that he's working with Fox and that they haven't "had that conversation."

It would be a joy for WWE fans if they could somehow make it work with CM Punk again, but there are a lot of bridges that need to be repaired. That said, CM Punk claimed in a recent Reddit AMA that he'd need "a very big bag" to return to WWE. Assuming that means a large pile of money, then WWE hopefully won't have a problem giving it to him.

Don't Get Your Hopes Up Just Yet

Even if WWE and CM Punk eventually work something out, there's no guarantee that they'll reach an agreement before WrestleMania 36. Punk will need plenty of time to train and get ready for another go-around in the ring, and even if he's keen on wrestling again, he may not want to do it for a while. We'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

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