“Stone Cold” Steve Austin praises CM Punk and notes that while he doesn’t know what’s going on with his situation, he believes Punk has had a remarkable career.
Punk has always been a polarizing star in the wrestling world, and he has been surrounded by plenty of controversy since “Brawl Out”, the incident in which he got into a physical altercation with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks after AEW All Out 2022. Punk was then suspended by AEW, and he has been absent ever since. His return has reportedly been planned for the premiere of AEW Collision, but new reports have led to some uncertainty about this plan.
Speaking with Alfred Konuwa of Forbes, the WWE Hall of Famer was asked to share his thoughts on the current situation with Pun. Austin noted that he doesn’t know what’s going on, but he talks to Punk every once in a while. He stated that he loves Punk and praised his abilities.
“Man, I just sent Punk a message last night,” Austin said. “I didn’t know he had torn his triceps. I haven’t been following anything. I don’t know what’s going on with that. Me and Phil trade messages every here and there. We rarely talk, probably once or twice a year.
“I love the guy, and I don’t even know if I mentored him because Punk’s probably a lot smarter than I am. Great promo guy, great worker, he’s got his own thing going and we’re just friends.”
Austin continued by noting that Punk may have looked up to him years ago, but the latter got over on his own. He then stated that he’d be flattered if he somewhat influenced the AEW star’s career, but Punk found success his way.
“I think I remember there’s a picture of myself and him from Chicago, my favorite town to work in, my favorite building,” Austin said. “I guess he had come down to where we were all hanging out. Maybe he looked up to me back in the day, but I don’t know if I so much mentored him because I think he paid his own dues.
“He learned it the way he did and he got over on his own merits. The fact that maybe I could have been somewhat of an influence would be flattering if that were the case. But he’s made his own career.”
Overall, Austin emphasized that he doesn’t know much about Punk’s current situation, but he shared his belief that Punk has carved out a “hellacious” career.
“I don’t even know what’s going on with the current situation or what they’re doing because right now I rarely watch any of the product,” Austin said. “I watch all the pay-per-views and major pay-per-views, but he’s certainly carved out a hellacious career in his own right by his own right.”
WrestleZone will continue to provide more information about CM Punk and his potential return to AEW as it becomes available.
