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Seth Rollins was recently asked about the possibility of CM Punk joining WWE and didn’t mince words. Booker T had The Visionary’s back later on.
If Seth Rollins and Booker T have their say, CM Punk won’t be wrestling for WWE anytime soon. The Royal Rumble was this past weekend, creating opportunities for members of the media to mingle with talent and the likes of Triple H. One of those media members, WrestlingInc.com’s Senior News Editor Nick Hausman, took the opportunity to ask Rollins how he’d feel about Punk returning to WWE. The Visionary, who appeared to be in character during the question, referred to Punk as “Philly Phil” before calling him a “cancer” and imploring him to “stay away from me forever.” Seth Rollins has never been shy about speaking his mind, which appeared to be the case again during Royal Rumble weekend.
Another WWE talent who has never been weary of sharing his thoughts is Booker T. On the most recent episode of his The Hall of Fame podcast, the surprise Royal Rumble entrant stated that “[Rollins] was shooting 100%” on CM Punk. Booker T continued, saying, “I’m just glad I didn’t have to say it. I’m just glad people can’t look at me now and be like I’m a hater. I keep my mouth shut… You hear other guys that have been around the business, that feel and speak the same way about Phil Brooks, and it’s because of being around him.” The WWE Hall of Famer concluded, remarking that “people stop thinking everything is a work. If I say something negative to the point about somebody being ‘a cancer in the locker room,’ I’m not playing, okay?” (h/t and thanks to Marco Rovere of wrestlinginc.com for the transcription)
WWE Is Just Fine Without CM Punk (And So Is AEW)
Wrestling fans waited seven long years for CM Punk to return to the wrestling ring. His first several months in AEW were nothing short of magical, and the reactions he got bordered on unbelievable. Tony Khan opened the door for the self-proclaimed Best in the World to return to the business he’d spurned in 2014, and the relationship was initially optimistic. Things started to boil below the surface during the build-up to All Out and spilled over for all to see during the now-infamous post-pay-per-view media scrum. That’s the last time wrestling fans have seen Punk, and that might remain the case forever. His work status with AEW is unclear five months after the fact, and members of WWE’s roster have been outspoken against the possibility of adding CM Punk to the roster.
In 2023, that’s the best approach for Triple H and Co. Punk moved the needle for AEW, but the backstage cost was high. WWE was the only wrestling company up in viewership year-over-year for January, and interest in the product continues to grow. The Royal Rumble was ridiculously successful, and WrestleMania 39 has already shattered gate records. Simply put: adding CM Punk to this talented group of wrestlers would be subtraction by addition. There are too many young, reliable stars on the rise in the company to supplant one of them for the six months or so that CM Punk would be happy with his spot on the card.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this year’s Royal Rumble was that Triple H didn’t have much interest in digging up the past for a few cheap pops. The men’s version of the titular match only featured one returning legend—Booker T—and the women’s match was similarly booked. This was a clear indication that WWE is banking on building stars of the future instead of looking to 44-year-olds who are more than a decade removed from their last problem-free year in the professional wrestling business.
Sources: The Hall of Fame/YouTube, wrestlinginc.com
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