CM Punk still has the respect of former WWE Superstar almost 10 years after famous promo (Exclusive)

Former WWE Superstar Chris Masters has discussed the respect that he has for CM Punk.

Masters worked for WWE from 2003-2007 and 2009-2011. Following Masters' second WWE exit, CM Punk praised The Masterpiece's improvement during a promo on WWE RAW and questioned why John Laurinaitis fired him.

Speaking to Dr. Chris Featherstone on SK Wrestling’s Inside SKoop, Masters revealed that CM Punk’s scripted words were actually very real. He said CM Punk’s promo, which also mentioned Harry Smith and Vladimir Kozlov's releases, came from the heart.

“CM Punk specifically had acknowledged how hard I had been working to improve my craft and get as good as possible in the ring. [He] encouraged me, we even worked out together one time… People always when they mention CM Punk to me, they always bring up the promo where he had brought me up, me and Harry, after the release.

“I was appreciative of what he said because I knew it was something that he genuinely felt. Whether it was scripted or not, it didn’t really matter because he had told me exactly what he had said out there on several occasions.”

Watch the video above to hear more of Masters’ thoughts on working with Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk.

Chris Masters and CM Punk in WWE

Chris Masters left WWE in 2011

While Chris Masters got along well with CM Punk behind the scenes, their paths hardly ever crossed on WWE television.

According to Cagematch.net, their only televised match (excluding Royal Rumbles and Battle Royals) took place in July 2010. On that occasion, CM Punk teamed with Joey Mercury and Luke Gallows to defeat Masters, JTG, and MVP. They also went one-on-one at a WWE live event in September 2010, with CM Punk picking up the victory.

Please credit SK Wrestling’s Inside SKoop and embed the video interview if you use quotes from this article.