Kemo
04-26-2023, 06:29 PM
CM Punk being present at this week's Raw could be the former AEW World Champion's "Brian Pillman moment," at least according to Booker T.
Punk was backstage at this week's show in Chicago, Illinois, and reportedly traveled with WWE talent from Florida to his hometown. The show marked Punk's first time attending a WWE wrestling event since walking out in January 2014.
Punk spoke with members of the WWE roster and was said to have received a warm welcome from those he spoke to. He also spoke with The Miz and Triple H, both of whom he has had problems with over the years.
CM Punk's Brian Pillman Moment
Punk's appearance at this week's Raw understandably took those in WWE and AEW by surprise, especially given Punk's rumored return to AEW programming. The Second-City Savior is expected to be back on TV later this year as the top star on AEW's weekly Saturday wrestling show.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T spoke about Punk's situation and said that what happened this week could be akin to Brian Pillman drumming up interest in himself during the 1990s.
“That’s something that him and Tony Khan should be talking about. Why was he at a WWE show […] This might be his Brian Pillman moment, you know? ‘I’m going to work the companies against each other.'”
Booker also warned that if Punk is trying to draw interest to himself by showing up at Raw, that it could backfire. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer said some in both companies could see him showing up and being kicked out as a "character flaw."
In the mid-1990s, Pillman was part of a storyline in WCW, which resulted in his character being 'fired' from the show. To make the storyline as legitimate as possible, Pillman convinced WCW to genuinely fire him, saying he would re-sign months later when WCW wanted him to return.
When that time came, Pillman (who had since been appearing for ECW) after his firing, did not re-sign with WCW, as he had wanted out of the Atlanta-based company for some time. Instead of re-signing, Pillman eventually signed with the WWF and became one of the first stars to be signed to a multi-year deal with the company.
Punk was backstage at this week's show in Chicago, Illinois, and reportedly traveled with WWE talent from Florida to his hometown. The show marked Punk's first time attending a WWE wrestling event since walking out in January 2014.
Punk spoke with members of the WWE roster and was said to have received a warm welcome from those he spoke to. He also spoke with The Miz and Triple H, both of whom he has had problems with over the years.
CM Punk's Brian Pillman Moment
Punk's appearance at this week's Raw understandably took those in WWE and AEW by surprise, especially given Punk's rumored return to AEW programming. The Second-City Savior is expected to be back on TV later this year as the top star on AEW's weekly Saturday wrestling show.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T spoke about Punk's situation and said that what happened this week could be akin to Brian Pillman drumming up interest in himself during the 1990s.
“That’s something that him and Tony Khan should be talking about. Why was he at a WWE show […] This might be his Brian Pillman moment, you know? ‘I’m going to work the companies against each other.'”
Booker also warned that if Punk is trying to draw interest to himself by showing up at Raw, that it could backfire. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer said some in both companies could see him showing up and being kicked out as a "character flaw."
In the mid-1990s, Pillman was part of a storyline in WCW, which resulted in his character being 'fired' from the show. To make the storyline as legitimate as possible, Pillman convinced WCW to genuinely fire him, saying he would re-sign months later when WCW wanted him to return.
When that time came, Pillman (who had since been appearing for ECW) after his firing, did not re-sign with WCW, as he had wanted out of the Atlanta-based company for some time. Instead of re-signing, Pillman eventually signed with the WWF and became one of the first stars to be signed to a multi-year deal with the company.