WWE's CM Punk On Inspiring (And Being Inspired By) NXT Talent

It has almost been a year since CM Punk's WWE return at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, and the former AEW star has spent a considerable amount of time giving back to the next generation of talent, spending time mentoring the stars of "WWE NXT" such as Roxanne Perez and Trick Williams. Punk was a guest on "The Rich Eisen Show" and reflected on his visits to the black and gold brand.

"I go home to my wife just completely humbled and emotional about it," Punk said, "I woke up one day and I was this dude. When kids come up to me and they're comfortable enough to be like, 'Hey, look at this,' and it's a picture of them when they're little at an autograph signing and they tell me, 'Hey, you inspired me to do this.' It's just like me getting to tell Roddy Piper, 'Hey, you're the reason I did this,' and I don't know if it meant anything to [Piper], but it meant something to me to be able to tell him that."

Punk was famously fired by WWE in 2014 after falling out with officials, and for years it seemed that he'd never return to wrestling, let alone his current promotion. However, being able to work with younger talent since his shocking comeback has boosted his morale this time around, but he's also a fan of the way WWE is run under its new management regime following Vince McMahon's exit, as it benefits younger stars' development.

A decade ago, CM Punk voiced his frustrations of WWE not listening to him or taking his ideas seriously, but he is now in a place with the company where that has changed. "The Second City Saint" was asked his feelings on giving back to younger wrestlers where he has people willing to listen, and answered that he does not want them to deal with any of the backstage issues he dealt with while trying to come up in the industry.

"There's a handful of indies in different places, but if they run once a month, how much experience are you getting?" Punk asked referring to the hardship he endured while gaining experience. "When I signed and I got shuffled down to Kentucky to go to OVW I was like, 'I don't want to be here... The conditions were drastically different than they are now. Like NXT, the way it's set-up now is just like a sports college program. They have everything in house and they have air conditioning [laughs]."

Punk was talking about the WWE Performance Center, which houses multiple rings and on-site physical therapy, calling it the Disney World for an athlete. "I'm around all these people and I'm inspired by their passion to get better."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Rich Eisen Show" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.