Paul Heyman has known CM Punk for well over a decade now, and despite knowing him for so long, even he is a bit surprised at just how far the WWE star has come in his career.
Speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri for CBS Sports in a recent interview, Heyman said that Punk is more interesting now than he was ten years ago.
“If you had told me that in 2012 that 12 years later CM Punk would be a far more fascinating character than he is now at the height of his rebellious status, I’d say that’s just not in the cards for him,” Heyman said. “And yet I look at what he did with [Drew] McIntyre and realize that he’s so much more interesting now. He has a deeper connection with the audience now, which I never imagined would have been possible.”
Paul Heyman On How CM Punk Has Grown
Heyman went on to say that, characters like Punk, who often play the role of the rebel and are anti-establishment, can often “age out” of things. However, Heyman notes that for Punk, he’s been able to retain that role and is only doing it better as he gets older.
“You realize that rebels age out and once they do, they can no longer be the embodiment of the disruption that progresses against the establishment,” said Heyman. “And yet he is now the older rebel with a little more wisdom behind him and a little more tact involved and he’s that much more compelling version of a character and persona — let alone his ability to portray it — than ever before.”
Punk and Heyman’s relationship will take yet another turn this weekend, when Punk teams up with the original Bloodline to face off against the new Bloodline in a WarGames match at WWE Survivor Series.
RELATED: Paul Heyman Explains Why He Ranks The Bloodline Story As Number One All Time
