CM Punk Open To Facing Former WWE Rival

CM Punk has responded to recent comments from former rival Jeff Hardy.

The pair clashed in a storied rivalry for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship back in 2009, with Punk ultimately defeating Hardy in a ‘Loser Leaves WWE’ bout on the 28th August 2009 edition of SmackDown. Hardy would not compete in WWE again until returning alongside brother Matt at WrestleMania 33 in 2017.

The Hardy Boyz made their most recent return to WWE programming on the 25th February edition of NXT as part of the crossover deal with their current employers, TNA Wrestling.

After being asked recently about potential bouts in WWE in the future, Jeff Hardy revealed that he would be keen to retire CM Punk before taking his place in the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Punk offered a humorous reply to Hardy’s comments during a recent interview with MailSport:

‘”He said he wants to retire me?

‘I’d like to be able to fly, but I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.”

‘The Second City Saint’ went on to offer a more serious response, noting that he would be open to the bout despite any differences the men had previously shared:

“I think there’s got to be a lot of bridges crossed, I don’t know how many years I have left

I’m all for giving people second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth chances. There are a lot of experiences I didn’t enjoy so much, we don’t have to get into it, but I just root for people to be free of whatever demons possess them.

If he’s coming back here, great, let’s see what happens.”

CM Punk Praised By Former AEW Rival

CM Punk has received unlikely praise from former AEW rival Eddie Kingston.

The pair squared off together in a brief rivalry in late 2021, culminating in Punk defeating the former ROH World Champion at AEW Full Gear.

Despite any previous differences between the men, Kingston recently highlighted Punk as one of the few stars that can sell tickets on name value alone.

H/T: MailSport for the above transcription.