Ex-WWE talent names moment when CM Punk's career changed (Exclusive)

CM Punk has been one of the most talked-about wrestlers of the last two decades. In an exclusive interview, former WWE talent and current TNA backstage producer Ace Steel discussed his long-time friend's early days in the wrestling business.

Punk joined WWE in 2005 after making a name for himself in several other promotions, including Ring of Honor (ROH). During his ROH stint, The Best in the World joined forces with Steel as part of the Second City Saints faction.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Kevin Kellam, Steel pinpointed the exact moment when Punk showed signs of becoming a future megastar:

"Probably Ring of Honor when he was given the forum to do more vast promos and given a platform. His first program in Ring of Honor was Raven, with The Second City Saints versus Raven, and then he wasn't really given a chance in early TNA time to speak." [0:47 – 1:05]

As Steel referenced, Punk also wrestled for TNA between 2002 and 2004. However, he had not yet established himself as an expert talker on the microphone at that stage of his career, meaning his opportunities were limited.

Watch the video above to hear Steel's story about the time when CM Punk refused to drink with a WWE Hall of Famer and other wrestlers.

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Ace Steel on CM Punk learning from legends

ECW great Raven is known for having one of the most creative minds in the business. Wrestling icons Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race also helped many up-and-coming talents after they had retired from the ring.

Ace Steel added that CM Punk picked up a lot of wrestling knowledge from all three men before his WWE career began:

"He [Raven] reinvented himself. That's early ECW. That was groundbreaking. He was on the cusp of grunge, but his verbiage [was great]. There's things about Punk over the years, he would grasp different things from Harley (...) Dusty, being around those people, studying different things. He just studied in a different manner." [1:20 – 1:58]

Regarding Punk's authentic on-screen character, Steel said his friend simply portrays an exaggerated version of his real-life personality:

"I think you nailed it when you said the word real. The realism. He's never been much different. He's always brought a character, which is an extension of himself. 'I'm better than you.' Does he really think that? No." [1:59 – 2:15]

In the same interview, Steel disclosed details about his new role as a TNA producer.

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Please credit Sportskeeda WrestleBinge and embed the video if you use Ace Steel's quotes from this article.