And making even more afterwards
that is very, very debatable considering he a) had zero leverage , b) is the one who approached WWE to come back if these articles are to be believed and c) We know Punk was getting paid insane money in AEW by all reports
he has no leverage. WWE will make a lot of money , he will make less money on merch than he did in AEW as well. They only thing he's getting more that is undebatable is more prominent exposure
regardless, burning bridges and getting fired is never a genius move as it severely limits your financial options in the future. If he fucks up again, he will have nowhere to go for a big cheque. had he wrapped up like a mature adult with aew, he would have options. So again, there's nothing genius about getting fired and begging your ex employer for your old job back. it's just sad and immature.