"I probably scared him" – Female star on meeting CM Punk 10 times as a WWE fan

CM Punk was one of WWE's most popular stars before leaving the company in 2014. Elayna Black, formerly known as Cora Jade in WWE, recently gave an insight into her admiration for The Best in the World as a young wrestling fan.

Black was let go by WWE on May 2 after four years with the company. The 24-year-old began watching wrestling at the age of eight. She grew up as a huge Punk fan and often attended his meet-and-greet sessions in Chicago, Illinois.

On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Black joked that Punk probably thought she was "crazy" due to the number of times she met him:

"He remembered me because any time he would do anything in Chicago, because I lived in Chicago and so did he, I would be the first in line for every single thing. Borderline crazy, now that I'm thinking about it. I probably scared him. [Met CM Punk] probably 10 times. I was there every time. It got to the point where he would remember me in the line and he would laugh at me because I would be first in line every single time. We laugh about it now. I'm like, Jesus Christ, I was a little bit crazy back then." [21:56 – 22:23]

In the same interview, Black addressed whether she could potentially wrestle Punk's wife AJ Lee.

How Elayna Black reintroduced herself to CM Punk

In December 2023, CM Punk attended NXT Deadline shortly after returning to WWE for the first time in almost a decade. At the same event, Elayna Black made her NXT comeback as Cora Jade after a four-month absence.

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Black added that she joked around with Punk before the show to break the ice:

"I walked up to him in catering, and I said something. I was like, 'Hey, are you new here?' and then he looked and realized it was me. He's like, 'What the f**k. No, are you new here?' and then he just hugged me, and then ever since then he's been my mentor, one of my closest friends now. It's just crazy how that happens." [23:15 – 23:37]

Black also revealed how she feels about returning to WWE one day after recently receiving her release.

Please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart