When CM Punk made his AEW debut in 2021, it was a huge win for the company and a major blow to WWE. Unfortunately, there were those in AEW who didn't want the Best in the World there and his time as an "All Elite" wrestler came to a disappointing end when Tony Khan fired him.
AEW's loss was ultimately WWE's gain and Triple H wasted no time signing Punk to a deal. After returning at Survivor Series: WarGames last November, it seems Punk has never been happier and things for him in WWE have gone swimmingly.
Talking to Peter Rosenberg, the Second City Saint reflected on his past year in WWE. "Aside from the whole tricep injury and surgery, we really turned chicken sh*t into chicken salad with that one. I don't want to grade myself, I leave that to the fans and my peers and the people I work for. They can go ahead and grade it. I've had the time of my life coming back."
"I weigh this past year up against any year of my entire career," Punk continued, before sharing his expectations for 2025. "I think we pick up where we left off. The tricep injury really threw a monkey wrench into everything. Plans for WrestleMania, plans I had for myself, plans I had for other people."
"To me, I'm really fortunate that I get to re-live the past year, I get to have another comeback, another return, another Road to WrestleMania. For me, what's left in my career to do. Right now, everything is just frosting on a pretty bad ass cake. I'm here to enjoy the ride, riding the wave."
As for how things have changed during this second run in WWE, the former WWE Champion explained, "I think it's just the business as a whole has changed so much. The biggest thing is the amount of dates you work."
"I'm talking getting your ass beat Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday...fly home, oh we need you Tuesday, fly back out, do a dark match on Tuesday, fly back home Wednesday, maybe get a chance to do laundry and you're back on the road Friday. That's all gone. That is going to not only save a lot of careers, it's going to save a lot of people's sanity. I know it saved mine."
Punk hasn't had much to say about his stint in AEW but was asked in this interview whether he has any regrets form his time there. "It's such a loaded question," he started. "No. I feel like I wasted some matches on some people for sure. But that is what it is. Some people understand the business and some don't. Everyone here understands the business."
You can watch the full interview with CM Punk in the player below.