WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman has been partnered with some of WWE's biggest stars (no, we're not including Ryback and Curtis Axel). Those include Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk.
Alongside Heyman, the Second City Saint held the WWE Championship for a then-record-breaking 434 days. In a new interview, the ECW founder praised Punk for the work he's done since returning to WWE at last year's Survivor Series: WarGames.
"If you had told me that in 2012 that 12 years later CM Punk would be a far more fascinating character than he is now at the height of his rebellious status, I'd say that's just not in the cards for him," Heyman admitted. "And yet I look at what he did with [Drew] McIntyre and realize that he's so much more interesting now."
"He has a deeper connection with the audience now, which I never imagined would have been possible. You realize that rebels age out and once they do, they can no longer be the embodiment of the disruption that progresses against the establishment."
"And yet he is now the older rebel with a little more wisdom behind him and a little more tact involved and he's that much more compelling version of a character and persona - let alone his ability to portray it - than ever before," he added.
Punk has thrived in Triple H's WWE and, during his previous run, never shied away from letting people know he was a "Paul Heyman Guy." Vince McMahon's relationship with Heyman has always been complicated and the WWE Hall of Famer believes that was a detriment to the Best in the World.
"CM Punk battled against the perception that he was only a 'Paul Heyman guy.' He got unfortunately dragged down by that tag," Heyman said. "He became collateral damage to my fallout with management. Because of my fallout with management, he was tagged - that's literally what they called him - 'Oh yeah, the Paul Heyman guy.'
"This guy was a magnificent performer, an all-time performer, a WrestleMania main eventer, a top-of-the-card-worthy performer from the moment he walked through the door. But he fought against that perception and proved himself through his hard work, connection with his audience, and the fact that no matter how stupid of a concept they threw at him, he made it work."
He continued, "He was undeniable. You could not stop the progress no matter how they self-sabotaged their product."
You can watch the full interview with Heyman in the player below.