WWE Hall of Famer Booker T believes CM Punk is currently enjoying the best run of his WWE career, suggesting that a change in priorities and perspective has helped the former World Champion reach a different level following his return to the company.
During a recent edition of his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T discussed Punk’s career resurgence since returning to WWE in November 2023. He praised Punk’s willingness to take risks throughout his career and explained why he believes his current stint has surpassed his original run. “I saw something in CM Punk from the beginning. And when I talk about guys like CM Punk, you need guys like that. There’s a lot of guys that are willing to bank on themselves. You got to be willing to bank on yourself, just like Punk leaving WWE, going to AEW, and then leaving AEW and coming back. And look at his career now. I think this run’s better than his first. This run’s better than his first run in so many aspects. And I think he would probably say the same thing in so many aspects, because the things he was worried about the first time around, he’s not worried about those things anymore.”
Booker T suggested that Punk’s outlook has evolved significantly since his controversial departure from WWE in 2014. According to the two-time WWE Hall of Famer, issues that previously weighed heavily on Punk may no longer carry the same importance at this stage of his life and career. “I truly believe that. I could be wrong, but I truly believe the things that he worried about the first time around, those things are well far in his rearview mirror as far as what life’s truly all about now.”
The discussion also touched on Punk’s time in AEW, where he competed between 2021 and 2023. Booker T suggested that joining the promotion may have presented Punk with a different challenge, particularly after the success he had already achieved in WWE. “I think when Punk went to AEW, it probably felt like he was starting all over again, even though it had a lot of money in it. Even though it was a company that was destined to be what it is today. But for Punk to have gone to where he had gone, to now have to try to build something.”
Booker T ultimately argued that Punk’s journey was less about any particular promotion and more about establishing his legacy and determining how he wanted to conclude his wrestling career. “I’m looking to build my legacy and my destiny … I don’t think it was about AEW at that point. I think it was about Punk and the way he finished his journey.”
Punk’s return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames in November 2023 marked a significant moment in his career, ending nearly a decade away from the company.
For Booker T, however, the biggest difference between Punk’s two WWE runs is not simply his position on the roster or his accomplishments, but the perspective he has gained throughout his career and the priorities he now brings to the business.
