CM Punk described his return to WWE at Survivor Series 2023 as a moment when “hell froze over,” highlighting the shocking nature of his comeback after a long absence. He even posted a photo with Triple H, a significant gesture considering their well-documented clashes both on-screen and behind the scenes during the early 2010s.
During a recent interview with High Performance, Triple H commented on where things stand now, saying that despite any creative differences, they’ve found a way to communicate and work through issues professionally. He said,
“We’ve had a couple of moments since his return, there was one moment where he’d return and they told him something creatively and they told me, ‘He does not like this.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll talk to him.’ Went and talked to him. ‘What’s going on?’ I told him the creative and he was like, ‘That’s good, whatever.’ I was like, ‘I know you don’t like it. Everybody’s told me. Let’s be open.’ He complained about what it was and I said, ‘Let’s go sit and talk about it and come up with something good.’ That sort of changed, it was like a paradigm shift for us relationship-wise, and now, it’s a funny thing for me to say, sitting down and being collaborative with CM Punk is one of my favorite things in TV because he shares a very similar view at the end of the day of the business as I do.”
WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER recently revealed on “The Ariel Helwani Show” that despite appearing to be a great fit for NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling), there were no discussions between him and the company before he joined WWE. He said,
“No, not really. I guess, in general, the Japanese style of business, they move way slower, especially in the States. ‘I want things, and I want it now.’ They move a bit slower.”
He continued, “It would have happened sooner or later, but it was at the point where I maxed out what I could do before and financially maxed out. ‘I gotta make a move now.’ With NXT, I had a really good feeling. It’s a different environment, and I could be there and exist there and keep growing there without necessarily having to make a step and go on the main roster.”
During a recent appearance on the “Ring the Belle” podcast, WWE Superstar Katana Chance commented on wanting a match with her tag team partner, Kayden Carter, against The Hardys (Matt and Jeff Hardy).
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On wanting a match against The Hardys: “If possible, I would say me and Kayden vs. The Hardy Boyz. Way back, watching wrestling, me and my sister. Who did we love? The Hardy Boyz. They were always doing the crazy stuff. Like, I feel like what we’re trying to do.”
On how The Hardys are a huge inspiration for Chance and Carter: “We’re definitely a little bit toned down, but we tried to get people to watch and be like, ‘Oh my gosh. I never thought somebody would do that,’ right? So, I feel like they were a huge inspiration to that. So I feel like me and Kayden vs. The Hardy Boyz would be really cool.”
Kevin Owens has been using the Stunner as his finishing move for over five years, following in the footsteps of Steve Austin, who made it one of wrestling’s most iconic finishers. Wrestlers have varied in how they react to taking the move — some, like The Rock and Scott Hall, preferred over-the-top sells, while others, like Kurt Angle, kept it simple.
While speaking with Chris Van Vliet on the “Insight” podcast, Owens shared that he generally dislikes exaggerated reactions but made an exception for Austin Theory, praising his perfect timing. He said,
“Some guys just go overboard, which I think ends up making the Stunner itself look terrible. I’ve seen guys standing Moonsaults on it, and I find that so dumb. Scott Hall had this amazing sell that people still remember, and now, Austin Theory, it’s so over the top. But somehow, he nails it. The timing is perfect. The way he does it is perfect. ‘Everyone goes, ‘Holy… Did you see that?’ But he still manages to make the move look good. I like a good, just like dropping, and you just kind of see the guy’s head go… Shane [McMahon], actually, I think Shane always took a really good Stunner.
“There’s all kinds of different ones I like. I said I don’t like the ones that are more about trying to make people go, ‘Well, did you see how he sold it?’ than trying to make the move look good.”
(h/t – Fightful)
