CM Punk's better days are "way behind him," controversial former WWE star claims

A controversial former WWE star has claimed that CM Punk's better days as a wrestler are behind him. The Second City Saint made his shocking return to WWE in late 2023 and has since been a key part of the company's programming.

Most recently, Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship in an entertaining match against Gunther at SummerSlam. Despite the work he has put in, former United States Champion Matt Riddle, whose WWE career was marred by substance abuse issues and sexual assault allegations, believes The Best in the World is past his prime.

Talking to TMZ Sports, Riddle acknowledged Punk's prowess as a draw for the company but claimed he is not performing at his best.

"He’s killing it. He’s wrestling. He’s staying active. He’s staying busy. And his fans seem to love it. So, I have no ill will toward the man. I just don’t think he’s, well, good at fighting. I think his better days of wrestling are way behind him. And that’s not a knock. I’ll tell you this, I’m not getting that much better or faster or stronger. And I can tell you he’s definitely not either, especially with all the botches, you know,” Riddle said. [22:30-22:54]

These wrestlers angered WWE management! Check what happened next

Check the interview below:

Riddle has been a critic of CM Punk in the past. During an interview this past June, he said that Punk was difficult to work with, a claim he reiterated during his interaction with TMZ Sports.

CM Punk will compete at Clash in Paris for the World Heavyweight Title

CM Punk's World Heavyweight Championship win at SummerSlam was short-lived, as Seth Rollins shocked everyone by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract in the closing moments of Night One. This led to an angry Punk interfering in Rollins' title defense against LA Knight on RAW last week.

This week on RAW, The Second City Saint teamed up with Knight to take on The Vision's Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker in a tag team match. However, the bout ended in disqualification after Rollins attacked Punk.

While Jey Uso finally made the save for the babyfaces, this led GM Adam Pearce to announce a major title match for Clash in Paris. Now, Rollins is set to defend his title against Punk, Knight, and Jey in a Fatal Four-Way Match at the premium live event in France on August 31.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit TMZ Sports and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Yash Mittal