'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQL/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMYmNf/EACEQAAIBAgYDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDAgAEBRETIjGhM0FS/9oACAEBAAE/AE2yip1qZENuVRYs6cSNsxz7+uqGANy8i+6//8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQD/2gAIAQIBAT8AG//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDAQE/AK//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
CM Punk finally signed an exclusive contract to WWE's flagship show. He will now be featured on Monday nights. Prior to making his decision, The Second City Saint traveled to all the weekly shows, including NXT.
During his appearance at NXT Deadline, CM Punk buried the hatchet with Shawn Michaels. The two opened the event, and the recently returned star teased about becoming a part of the NXT roster. Furthermore, he even showed interest in taking over a leadership role for the up-and-coming talents.
Be that as it may, Booker T assured on the latest episode of The Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore that The Heartbreak Kid is not going anywhere. If Punk wants that position, he will only get it a lot later down the line:
"That's not something that is going to happen like, anytime soon. That's something like ... years down the road. Shawn Michaels doesn't plan on going anywhere any time soon," Booker T stated. "I get a lot out of working with the NXT guys, and I feel a whole lot better when I go to NXT as opposed to just being at SmackDown or RAW, because I know I'm not doing anything. I'm not contributing anything as much to those guys on the show. Those guys are working. At NXT, these guys are learning. So I can give advice here, pointers ... so for me, I think that's what he's [Shawn Michaels] feeling when he's down there." [From 47:08 to 48:20]
Booker then spoke about how, despite being a globally recognized WWE Superstar, Shawn Michaels finds peace with his current role in NXT.
CM Punk showing up at NXT was a brilliant move by WWE, says Kevin Nash
Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, and the late Scott Hall were notorious together as The Kliq. They even had issues with CM Punk during the latter's first stint with the company. On-screen, at least.
Kevin Nash pointed to how smart it was for WWE to book CM Punk for NXT Deadline on his podcast Kliq This. According to the veteran, it boosted the former black-and-gold brand as an equal to the more popular two weekly shows:
"I thought it was a really good job that Paul [Levesque] did in him showing up at RAW, showing up at SmackDown then basically saying he was going to NXT to see Shawn Michaels. By doing that alone, it brought the NXT brand up because he was going to listen to what Shawn had as an offer, and I thought that was brilliant," he said.
CM Punk recently spoke highly of a WWE legend with whom he was "married" while working together. Read more here.
If you use the first quote, give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription and credit The Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore.
