One huge flaw in CM Punk's character and it's WWE's fault, says Vince Russo (Exclusive)

According to 64-year-old wrestling veteran Vince Russo, there's one huge flaw in CM Punk's character, and he believes that it's WWE's fault and not that of The Second City Saint himself.

On the latest episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, Vince Russo was asked by host Dr. Chris Featherstone about his thoughts on CM Punk's character. Russo gave a scathing review, calling Punk the most overrated wrestler he had ever seen based on his work from 2023 onwards (Russo notably didn't watch Punk's first WWE run from 2006 to 2014).

According to Vince Russo, CM Punk's rebel character is flawed because he always falls short in big moments, and he dismissed any comparisons between Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

"What I'm looking at now, and maybe the fans have a lot to do with it, because remember, I was there for the [Stone Cold Steve] Austin years. Austin was really a rebel. Here's the difference: Austin won. I see this guy going out there every week and going, 'I'm the rebel,' and the way they're [WWE] writing him, Punk ain't writing the show, but you're a rebel and you're losing all the time? Maybe you shouldn't be the rebel then! Like, obviously it's not working for you. That's what I'm seeing. I've not seen a payoff since he's come back. His gimmick is he's always coming up short." (3:49-4:30)

You can watch the full video below:

When is CM Punk's rival Gunther expected to return to WWE?

Michael Cole announced after SummerSlam 2025 that The Ring General, Gunther, suffered "injuries" (hinting at multiple ones) and will be out of action indefinitely.

However, this may not necessarily be true, as there has been an interesting note about Gunther's potential return following his World Heavyweight Title loss to CM Punk.

Despite the announcement of his nose injury, the two-time World Heavyweight Champion is still advertised for WWE Clash in Paris 2025 and is also on the poster for the night after on RAW.

WWE is doing a small tour of Europe in August as well, although it isn't nearly as long as their recent one this past March at WrestleMania season. That's why it's a curious situation if Gunther isn't back, because he's a big name in Europe, being from Austria. If you watched the Bash in Berlin event last year, where he beat legend Randy Orton in the main event, then you might get an idea of just how beloved he is in his home continent.

In that sense, it wouldn't be too surprising to see him return for the tour in some capacity, even if it isn't to wrestle.

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