WWE Hall Of Famer Makes Dramatic U-Turn On CM Punk
A WWE Hall of Famer seems to have switched up their opinion of CM Punk.
CM Punk remains the biggest story in the wrestling world following his WWE return at Survivor Series, and subsequent tour of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Deadline. As always, there are a great deal of questions about Punk given how he left WWE in 2014, and his controversy-laden spell with AEW.
Eric Bischoff was especially outspoken about Punk’s time in AEW, and Tony Khan’s handling of the star. The former WCW boss believed Punk did little to lift business in AEW, and his impact wasn’t nearly as big as many claimed, taking particular issue with comparisons to Scott Hall and Kevin Nash leaving WWE and joining WCW in 1996.
Speaking in November 2022, Eric Bischoff said if he was WWE he “wouldn’t touch CM Punk with a 10-foot pole.” He went on to call the former AEW Champion “fragile,” adding that he was “never in great shape to begin with.”
Fast forward 13 months and with Punk safely back under the WWE umbrella, Bischoff seems to have had a change of heart. Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff was full of praise for Punk’s WWE return and said he has no concerns over his in-ring performances, which will be at a “pretty high level.”
“Well, it’s working, right? Great reaction. It started out great. A fantastically timed surprise at the end of a pay-per-view, as opposed to the beginning or somewhere in the middle. I thought that was so well done. Story, anticipation, reality, surprise, and action.
So far, WWE has checked and double-checked and triple-checked each one of those boxes. With the exception of action, because we haven’t seen that happen yet, but we all know that it will end at a pretty high level.
So I think, because they’ve checked every one of those boxes, not once, not twice, but three times, this is going to be huge. It’s going to be great for CM Punk, provided he doesn’t melt down and do some stupid shit. If he keeps his act together and maintains a professional approach to this, he’s going to be hotter than he ever was. Hats off to him. Hats off primarily to WWE because they’re doing it right,”
Bischoff went on to explain why he thinks Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk will headline WrestleMania night one.
“I’m already convinced it’s going to be Seth and Punk. From the get-go, you know, Seth’s reaction outside the ring when Punk first showed up. Well done, by the way, it felt very believable and real, and perhaps some of it was. That’s one of the great things about taking personal issues from outside the ring and being able to bring them in the ring, turn up the volume on them, and make them a part of the backstory. Make them a part of act one to launch the story.
It was really well done, but I think because it was so well done and the focus and everything was there, I’m convinced that it’s going to be Punk and Seth on night one and Cody and Roman on night two. How could it be any better?”
Seth Rollins Slams “Bum” CM Punk In New Rant
A rivalry between CM Punk and Seth Rollins appears to be in the works, with the World Heavyweight Champion repeatedly taking issue with Punk. Speaking in a recent interview, Seth Rollins claimed Punk was “selfish” and a “fraud.” This was after he branded him a “cancer” earlier in 2023.
At a recent live event, Seth Rollins said he didn’t want to talk about that “bum” CM Punk.
H/t to Fightful