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Former WWE and WCW writer Vince Russo has given credit to Raven for touting CM Punk and Mickie James as future stars in the early 2000s.
Punk competed in 27 matches for IMPACT Wrestling (f.k.a. TNA) between September 2002 and February 2004. He was a member of Raven’s faction, The Gathering, which also included Alexis Laree (better known as Mickie James).
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dr. Chris Featherstone, Russo said he worked with Punk for a short time in IMPACT Wrestling. He also praised wrestling legend Raven for predicting how successful Punk and James would go on to become.
“I worked a little bit with CM Punk in TNA,” Russo said. “Bro, I gotta tell you something. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. This is the genius of Raven. When TNA was in its infancy, he was talking about CM Punk and Mickie James like they were the second coming.”
Watch the video above to hear Vince Russo’s thoughts on CM Punk and Daniel Bryan possibly joining AEW. He also questioned whether both men signing for Tony Khan’s company would be viewed as a “game-changer” in the wrestling business.
Vince Russo on CM Punk’s seven-year wrestling absence
CM Punk has not competed in an official match since the 2014 Royal Rumble.
Vince Russo believes many fans who watched Punk back then will no longer be up to date on current-day wrestling.
“Think about the 15-year-old kid that was watching CM Punk,” Russo said. “Bro, that kid’s 22 years old. Seven years is a long time. Those people that watched Punk in seven years a lot of those people moved on to other things. That’s my first thing. You’re not talking about a couple of years. You’re talking about seven years.”
Russo added that casual fans may not have the same level of interest in Punk following his unsuccessful UFC stint. However, he thinks loyal wrestling fans are unlikely to care about his short-lived MMA career.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.
