5-time WWE World Champion is "maybe up there with Roman Reigns," claims AEW star

There are few in-ring performers who have the pull and popularity of Roman Reigns today. An AEW champion recently expressed that a former 5-time WWE Champion who now plies his trade in the Jacksonville-based promotion is the closest to The Tribal Chief when it comes to popularity.

FTR, the tag team that comprises Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood, sat down for an interview with DAZN Wrestling. During the conversation, they said that CM Punk is as much of a draw as Reigns.

Harwood said:

"I think that (CM) Punk is one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. You look at his track record, his résumé and the things that he’s done in professional wrestling, especially when, you know, the business at one point was completely against him and what he represented and who he was and he made a name for himself and became one of the biggest stars our industry’s ever seen and he left the other promotion, he left WWE on his own accord and they wanted him back."

He continued:

"They begged to have him back for years and years and years and he never went back. AEW landed that and having, in my opinion, the second biggest, maybe up there with Roman Reigns, the biggest name in professional wrestling today only helps everybody else and the company because it’s bringing more eyeballs to the product and he also has something to prove. I don’t think he’s come back just for nostalgia, as a nostalgia act. I think he’s come back to reclaim his spot as best in the world." (H/T PostWrestling)

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CM Punk previously praised Roman Reigns

CM Punk and Roman Reigns were both part of WWE's main roster around a decade ago. Punk left the company in 2014, and he and Roman Reigns actually shared the ring that year.

Both stars have had rollercoasters for careers since they initially met in the sports entertainment giant. Reigns routinely fought against 'boos' and negative feedback when he was honing his craft, back in his early years in the company. He had his breakthrough after his turn as a heel, and CM Punk has praised that move.

“His character work, his in-ring stuff. It’s all great but I feel like, classic WWE, they’re always five years, 10 years late. This is something that they should’ve done originally, because they tried so hard to get this guy over as a babyface and they gave him X amount of ‘Mania main events. Like, ‘This is the guy, this is the guy, this is the guy,’ and he never really had his moments until now.”

What do you think? Will CM Punk have the same thoughts about Roman Reigns later? Tell us in the comments section.