CM Punk News and Rumors Roundup: CM Punk praised by two veteran wrestlers and slammed by another, WWE's rumored relationship with Punk

CM Punk has caused quite a stir in the professional wrestling world this week. After his match on AEW Dynamite, quite a few veteran wrestlers have shared their opinions on Punk.

Not all the opinions shared on Punk were positive, with one legend even admitting that he wasn't impressed with Punk's booking. Punk also managed to stir up his fellow competitors as one half of a top AEW tag team sent him a clear message.

CM Punk's relationship with WWE was brought up this week and rumors are afloat about where he stands with them. Punk has been outspoken about his reasons for returning to wrestling and what made him leave in the first place.

CM Punk is no stranger to criticism, and often riles up fans and haters alike. Let's dive into this week's CM Punk News and Rumors Roundup.

5. WWE management still 'hates' AEW star CM Punk

Brian Mazique of Forbes recently reported that WWE executives still have feelings of animosity towards CM Punk. This deep resentment is why Punk is unlikely to be featured in any future WWE games, including the soon-to-be-released 2K22.

At this point nothing is confirmed, but CM Punk was last included as a playable character in WWE 2K15. The game was notably released in Punk's final year with WWE. Since then players have been able to recreate Punk with his entire moveset, entrance, and items to make up his appearance.

While it would be surprising to have CM Punk be featured in a WWE game, it hasn't happened for quite a few years now. WWE 2K are known for removing superstars included in previous releases, and hopefully the reason CM Punk isn't included isn't because of old grudges.

Check out the Latest AEW Rumors here

4. Ric Flair praises CM Punk after Holiday Bash

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair praised CM Punk this week on his podcast.

Wooooo Nation Uncensored co-host Mark Madden was critical of AEW's match lengths. According to Madden, AEW matches are too lengthy. Ric Flair disagreed and used CM Punk's match at AEW Holiday Bash to prove his point. Flair ended up praising both Punk and Sting.

"Well he’s 20 years younger than Sting, I’m being serious that’s young like Steve is 62 years old and out there rocking it man. Punk’s a big star in the business so for him to do that is a very unselfish thing makes me think of him more every day. I don’t know him very well but things like that are what make people that have been in the business a long time like me take notice and pay attention and be very respectful of him." - Ric Flair.

3. Dax Harwood sends a message to Sting and CM Punk

One half of AEW Tag Team FTR, Dax Harwood, recently opened up about wrestling CM Punk and Sting on the Elite POV podcast.

"It's our time now. Sting was in the ring with us. CM Punk was in the ring with us. I take great pride in being able to do what we do and no one else can do it like we do it. I'm not saying we're the greatest wrestlers in the world or anything like that but there's no one else in the world that can do the things Cash and I can do and those guys, as much as we have the privilege of being in the ring with a 62-year old Sting, a guy we watched for our whole childhood, he also has the privilege of being in there with us because we're freaking real good," - Dax Harwood

2. Eric Bischoff takes a massive shot at CM Punk's star power

Eric Bischoff doesn't believe CM Punk can elevate wrestlers anymore. Bischoff shared on the Keepin' It 100 podcast that he believes that Punk is beyond his prime.

"There's this feeling like Punk is so over, let's use him to elevate some of the younger talents. Well, he can't even elevate it anymore. He can't elevate other talents if he's not the star that you think he is. I don't know man, I don't wanna sound like I'm beating up on them [AEW] all the time because it's working for them, and they're happy, and the network's happy, and they are making money, God bless them," - Eric Bischoff

1. Sabu gives honest opinion on CM Punk's return to pro-wrestling

WCW legend Sabu recently shared some praise for the Straight Edge Superstar. Sabu is not one to easily share praise, so CM Punk definitely impressed the legendary wrestler. During an interview with Vinny Vegas from PTM, he had this to share:

"Oh, it's good [On CM Punk returning to pro wrestling]. It's good anything that would bring spotlight back on wrestling again. He's a good worker, and I like him. When I was in WWE, I rode with him. He picked me up from the airport first time. Anyways, I think he is good for business," - Sabu.

Although some people have differing opinions of CM Punk, the fact that so many people talk about him is alone evidence of his star power. Whether or not you're a fan of the AEW star, it is undeniable that he brings an immense amount of attention to the industry