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CM Punk feuded with several superstars on WWE's ECW brand in the mid-to-late 2000s. In a recent interview, Punk's former rival Shannon Moore explained why he should not have returned to the company.
Moore initially worked for WWE between 2001 and 2005 after two years in WCW. The 44-year-old went on to join IMPACT/TNA, where he became known as The Prince of Punk. Upon returning to WWE in 2006, he lost two one-on-one matches against the up-and-coming CM Punk.
On Road Dogg's Oh You Didn't Know? podcast, Moore said it felt like he was only rehired to help build Punk's career:
"Probably the worst decision I ever made in my life, honestly, just because I think that's the time whenever CM Punk was getting ready to come up, and my whole thing in TNA was kinda a Punk gimmick. I was The Prince of Punk. I had no clue who CM Punk was at the time, but whenever they brought me back it was just to s**t on that and get ready for Punk." [39:52 – 40:19]
In 2008, Moore left the company for the second time after forming a short-lived tag team with Jimmy Wang Yang. He also worked for IMPACT again between 2010 and 2012.
Shannon Moore's honest view on WWE pushing CM Punk
In the years that followed, CM Punk became one of the biggest stars in the wrestling business. He won several titles and feuded with marquee names including John Cena, Triple H, and The Undertaker.
Looking back, Shannon Moore thinks Punk's long-time advocate Paul Heyman was right to have so much faith in The Straight Edge Superstar:
"They made the right decision, dude. Punk made them millions and millions of dollars. Business is business. I have no hard feelings. It just was what it was. Paul Heyman knew that Punk was money, and they knew that there couldn't be but one Punk on the show." [40:28 – 40:52]
Moore's last WWE match aired on the August 8, 2008, episode of SmackDown. He teamed up with Jimmy Wang Yang in a losing effort against Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.
Do you have any memories of the CM Punk vs. Shannon Moore storyline? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Oh You Didn't Know? and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
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