CM Punk is heading into SummerSlam with the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line, but ahead of Saturday’s title defense against Cody Rhodes, he also reflected on the people who helped shape his career and the connection he has built with WWE fans over the years.
Speaking with Dave LaGreca on Busted Open (see video below), Punk was asked which wrestling legend gave him the best advice early in his career. Rather than naming just one person, Punk said he has been fortunate to learn from some of the greatest minds the business has ever seen.
“Too hard to narrow down,” Punk admitted. “Too wide of a spectrum of some of the more brilliant minds in wrestling. You’ve named a few of them there. A lot of them aren’t with us anymore: Terry, Harley, Tracy Smothers, Eddy Guerrero.”
He continued by noting that he still seeks guidance from several legendary names to this day.
“And then there’s the ones that we are currently fortunate to still have, that even to this day still give me great advice. Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels. These are guys who I can reach out to and ask a question, whether it’s something that happened in the late ’90s or, ‘Hey, I’m thinking of this.’ I can bounce these ideas off them and get their perspective.”
LaGreca also asked Punk what has allowed him to maintain such a strong emotional connection with wrestling fans throughout his career.
“I think initially it’s the authenticity that I bring,” Punk said. “It’s being myself. But it’s also the job. I’m in the job of manipulating the emotions of the audience based on where I want them to go. And when you’ve done it for this long, you develop a currency with the audience.”
Punk added that the relationship he has built with fans could ultimately influence the direction of his character in the future, suggesting that turning fans against him may not be as easy as it once was.
“Even if I thought it would be a great idea to try to get these people to hate me, I think that’s going to be a tough ask,” Punk explained. “We saw it recently with John Cena. I don’t think people really want to boo Randy [Orton]. I think the situation’s got to be right. But I’m fortunate to have that currency with the audience.”
CM Punk defends his Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes in the night one main event of the two-night WWE SummerSlam 2026 premium live event, which goes down on August 1 and August 2 from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 8/1 and 8/2 for live WWE SummerSlam 2026 Results coverage.
