Paul Heyman Breaks Character, Calls Multi-Time Ex-WWE Champion “Fascinating” Before Survivor Series

Paul Heyman shared his thoughts on CM Punk’s evolution during an interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri. The WWE Hall of Famer reflected on Punk’s growth and his past struggles within the company.

“If someone told me in 2012 that, 12 years later, CM Punk would be a more fascinating character than during his peak rebel status, I’d say that wasn’t in the plans. But watching his work with Drew McIntyre, he’s far more interesting now. He has a deeper connection with the audience, something I never thought possible,” Heyman said.

The Wiseman also addressed Vince McMahon’s perception of Punk. “CM Punk fought against being just a ‘Paul Heyman guy’. That label hurt him. He became collateral damage from my disagreements with management. Because of this, they labeled him – literally called him – ‘Oh yeah, the Paul Heyman guy.'”

Heyman emphasized how Punk overcame this perception: “This guy was a magnificent performer, a historic performer, a WrestleMania main eventer, a top-card performer from day one. But he fought against that perception and proved his worth through hard work, connecting with his audience, and making any concept work, no matter how absurd… He was undeniable. There was no stopping his progress, no matter how much they self-sabotaged his product.”

Rikishi surprised by CM Punk joining OG Bloodline for WarGames

On his Off The Top podcast, Rikishi expressed his unexpected reaction to CM Punk being revealed as the fifth member of the OG Bloodline’s WarGames team on SmackDown.

“I don’t know. I mean, really? CM Punk? I didn’t see that coming a mile away,” Rikishi said. “With Paul being out and that phone call from Roman that he didn’t pick up, I would have probably thought it would have been somebody like Brock Lesnar.”

The Hall of Famer also pondered potential storyline developments: “Maybe now, it’s hard to say because I felt when Sami kicked Roman in the mouth, possibly something could turn out from there. But now we got CM Punk, who’s obviously a bigger name as far as main event status.”