AEW personality explains how he won CM Punk over after tricky start to their relationship

CM Punk often divides opinion among fans and fellow wrestlers. In a recent interview, Jimmy Jacobs recalled how the newly re-signed WWE star disliked him at the start of their careers.

Jacobs wrestled for Ian Rotten's IWA Mid-South promotion in the early-to-mid 2000s before making his name in Ring of Honor. He later worked on the WWE and IMPACT/TNA creative teams before joining AEW in 2023.

In an interview with Developmentally Speaking, Jacobs did not disclose exactly why Punk did not like him at first. However, he revealed that The Straight Edge Superstar decided to help both him and Alex Shelley due to their work in IWA Mid-South:

"I'd known CM Punk since I was like 16," Jacobs said. "He didn't particularly like me, but once Shelley and I started working for Ian, Punk took a liking to us. He saw we were two guys that were hustling. He said, 'Hey, give me a tape, I'll give it to Gabe [former Ring of Honor booker Gabe Sapolsky] and see if I can get you guys on Ring of Honor.'" [10:09 – 10:27]

Jacobs wrestled for Ring of Honor for more than a decade. He held the tag titles five times, including twice with Tyler Black (aka Seth Rollins).

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Jimmy Jacobs filled a void left by CM Punk

Before joining WWE for the first time in 2005, CM Punk often participated in compelling long-term storylines in Ring of Honor. His rivalries with Raven and Samoa Joe were widely viewed as some of the best in the wrestling business around that time.

When Punk left the company, Jimmy Jacobs became one of the few Ring of Honor stars who focused on long-term storytelling:

"Not to compare myself to him, but to some degree it was the hole that CM Punk left. That was kinda like Punk's thing in Ring of Honor. I'm not saying I'm CM Punk at all. I'm just saying that without him being there, there was no one really doing stuff like him and Raven and things like that. They weren't really doing that there." [18:11 – 18:34]

Jacobs added that former Ring of Honor co-worker Bryan Danielson is the one who contacted him about joining AEW in 2023.

What are your thoughts on Punk? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Please credit Developmentally Speaking and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.