How CM Punk Is REALLY Viewed Backstage In WWE

Ever an opinion-splitting figure, what's the current WWE view on CM Punk?

by Andrew Pollard
Drew McIntyre CM Punk
WWE

Fresh off one of the hottest WWE Raw segments in forever, and having been back with WWE for four months now, there's an update on how CM Punk is viewed behind the scenes by those with the market leader.

As per Wade Keller over at the PWTorch, the Second City Saint continues to get "all positive reviews" from his peers and management for his behaviour and for how he carries himself. Keller adds that while Seth Rollins did have a legitimate gripe with Punk, the two get along fine when planning their segments together.

Whereas the must-see promo exchange between Punk, Rollins, and Drew McIntyre from Monday night had some questioning whether anyone involved had gone into the business for themselves, that was far from the case. The segment was designed to feel like the talent veered into "shoot" territory by touching on matters where there's been legitimate heat, and that doesn't say that such real issues don't exist, but more that the wrestlers were prepared to put any hard feelings to one side and use any tension to make the segment more buzz-worthy.

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For those wondering about CM Punk alluding to disgraced former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon - Punk asking Drew McIntyre who labelled him the Chosen One - that was something that wasn't planned but was viewed as a "slick comment" that emphasised the tone WWE was looking for, with Punk expertly moving away from that topic after just a couple of seconds.

As previously reported, a general framework and certain lines were discussed ahead of time, but Paul Levesque was happy to trust the talent with a certain freedom, with him eager to encourage the trio to interject comments on the fly. This freedom obviously isn't something afforded to all talent, but Keller names Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and The Rock as those alongside CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre who are trusted in this regard.

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To circle back to CM Punk, he'll serve as a special commentator with McIntyre challenges Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship on Night 2 of WWE WrestleMania XL.

 
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.