CM Punk showed up at NXT again this past Wednesday and appeared surprisingly friendly with WWE Hall of Famer Booker T when they crossed paths at ringside.
Why was it a surprise? Well, it was only last December that Booker revealed the Second City Saint had called him a "flip-flopper" for the way he'd gone back and forth about Punk on his podcast (in fairness, the comment was made in jest and no doubt without any malice).
According to the six-time world champion, there are definitely no hard feelings between him and Punk and, in fact, the WCW icon had nothing but praise for what he's seen from the Best in the World in NXT.
Here's what Booker said on his Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore podcast:
"I don’t know if you guys noticed on Tuesday night NXT, I ran into CM Punk. We had words. The thing is, it was refreshing. Let’s just say that. I know people were tripping when they saw that. The thing is, CM Punk and I never really had any beef. We really never did. I know people really thought that when he was in AEW, but I don’t think CM Punk and I ever really had any beef. Did I say some things about CM Punk, specifically when he was in the UFC? Yeah, I did, but I don’t think I said anything derogatory or mean spirited towards CM Punk at all? Even when he was in AEW, just like say for instance when he made his debut. I said the promo didn’t hit me properly. I said he could’ve did a little bit something, and that’s just constructive criticism. That’s not a knock or anything on CM Punk or anything like that."
"CM Punk did something at NXT this week that was refreshing as well. I wrapped up at the desk right, went to the bathroom, went back, talked to the boys, hung out a little bit in the back, and then I was leaving the arena. I had to walk right back through the arena. When I walked back through, everybody was still in the arena. It was still packed, you know, jammed in there. I was like, What the heck? I thought these people were going home. CM Punk stayed. It was just like trying to get The Undertaker to do the spinaroonie. It was one of those types of deals. It was a moment that the NXT fans were going to get a chance to have for the rest of their lives, to think about that moment for the rest of their lives, you know, hanging out with CM Punk after the show. So I appreciate that."
"CM Punk seems like we’re almost in that same space. We’re too old to be thinking about beef. I swear, I think that’s where we are. We ran into each other on the plane that morning, too. I didn’t even know he was sitting right behind me. We just got to talking, just small talk, but it’s just cool. It’s just cool to still be able to network through people still trying to make something out of nothing, but him and I have grown enough to rise above that and understand what this business truly is all about. At the end of the day, it’s about the journey, it’s about the camaraderie that you make along the way, and hopefully you make some money."
While there are still those who don't like Punk and probably never will, we've heard nothing but good things about the way he's conducted himself in WWE.
That's a big contrast to his time in AEW, of course, though it's been established that he had to deal with a lot of negativity backstage due to the environment Tony Khan's unique management style (and his EVPs) have created.