CM Punk’s return to WWE has gotten a lot of people talking, and while initial reports indicate that Punk got along with the other talent backstage at RAW, there is no doubt that some wrestlers will be upset that Punk is taking TV time away from them.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry addressed Punk’s return and some of the resentment that may come from certain wrestlers in the company or wrestlers who are not there but have an ax to grind with Punk while speaking on Busted Open Radio.
“There are some people at the top that’s not gonna be happy because they’re gonna get less minutes,” Henry said. “They’re gonna have to acquiesce to the new addition to the company. There’s a lot of people that will take their ball and go home. Hell, Steve Austin took his ball and went home before. Everybody always comes back. They always realize ‘The business is bigger than me, I don’t want to be on the wrong side.’ The ones that do, we don’t give a shit about them anyway.”
Without naming names, Henry appeared to be referring to Ryback, who announced on X that he would retire if Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series.
Henry said, “The ones that are like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna retire if this person comes back.’ The ones [who say], ‘If he’s here, I don’t wanna be here.’ Take your ass home then, because the business is gonna roll and roll and roll with or without you.”
WWE has claimed that Punk’s return has resulted in record-breaking social media numbers. While some wrestlers may be unhappy, Punk will always be featured in a prominent spot on the card ahead of the other talent as long as he is drawing large social media and TV ratings.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
