The legendary Paul Heyman recently appeared on the Masked Man Show to hype up this weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and discuss a number of pro-wrestling related topics, including his thoughts on top AEW superstar CM Punk, and what he finds interesting about the Chicago Savior’s future in the industry. Highlights from the interview are below.
Wonders where the CM Punk character will go once the nostalgia novelty wears off:
“What happens a year from now? How’s he going to feel? How will the audience look at him and accept him in a year? If he can continue to drive himself to being a progressive, compelling, riveting character on the cutting edge that presents himself in a different manner than anybody else can present himself, herself, then he’s going to be fascinating character to watch.”
Hopes that Punk continues to adapt and not just ride the wave of past accomplishments:
“If he can’t, then he’s going to be someone that came back, rode a wave of nostalgia but didn’t progress into the future when he as a rebel was always looking forward in the business and never trying to live off what the business had already accomplished or what he had already accomplished in the business.”
What he finds most interesting about Punk’s return:
“Where does he take the CM Punk character in 2023, 2024, 2025? Can he make that character so progressive, so revolutionary, so evolutionary, so riveting, so compelling, so different and unique than anybody that’s out there that he truly defines himself as a transformative figure, a true disruptor in the professional wrestling/sports-entertainment game? That’s the interesting part to me.”
(H/T and transcribed by Sescoops)