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CM Punk admitted something personal ahead of his World Heavyweight Championship match against Gunther at WWE SummerSlam. The Second City Saint thought that he would never get a second chance to redeem himself.
After leaving WWE unceremoniously in 2014, Punk once vowed that he would never return to the company. Fast forward to 2021, The Straightedge Superstar signed with AEW, which turned out to be a catalyst for his eventual WWE return at the 2023 Survivor Series: WarGames in his hometown of Chicago.
In an appearance on the Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast with UFC legends Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, CM Punk opened up about his second tenure in WWE. Punk admitted that he never thought about being given another second chance in WWE until it happened nearly two years ago.
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"Being back now, everything is I call it extra credit. I've had a wonderful career. Some people say a Hall of Fame career prior to me coming back. But to come back and like every day, overflowing with gratitude. Every day, I wake up and I don't have to go to work. I get to go to work. That's the way I view it. So everything in the last year and a half and going forward is really just kind of my love letter to pro wrestling, and I feel like it's a second chance that I never thought I was going to get. So I'm really trying to savor everything and it's nice to be appreciated. It's a nice feeling," Punk said. [From 26:55 to 27:40]
Check out the video below:
CM Punk endured an injury in early 2024 before his legendary feud with Drew McIntyre took over WWE in the second half of last year. He finally main evented WrestleMania in April and is now looking to win his first title since returning to the company.
CM Punk praises Gunther ahead of their SummerSlam match
In the same interview on the Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast, CM Punk shockingly broke character to praise Gunther. Punk called The Ring General the "best in the world," a nickname usually used to describe The Second City Saint.
"Gunther's a guy that I feel I'm super excited to get in the ring with. He's on fire, like this dude is the best wrestler in the world. He’s got the gold to prove it, too. But like just everything about him is a throwback. I think he's refreshing. I think he's real," Punk said. [From 19:49 to 20:11]
Punk and Gunther are set to main event Night 1 of SummerSlam this Saturday at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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