"[CM] Punk, I'm proud of you" - Alberto Del Rio expresses his admiration for former AEW World Champion's stint in non-wrestling industry (Exclusive)

Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio has come to the defense of former AEW World Champion CM Punk's UFC career.

After leaving WWE in 2014, many people wondered what Punk's next move would be. The Second City Saint signed a contract with the UFC and eventually made his debut at UFC 203 in a losing effort against Mickey Gall. He later went the distance with Mike Jackson in his second fight at UFC 225, which was eventually ruled a no-contest.

Despite CM Punk's less than stellar MMA record, Alberto Del Rio showered praise on his former colleague in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta.

"So all I can say is Phil, [CM] Punk, I’m proud of you, and I know that he knows that people criticize him for what he did, they’re always going to be there and they’re always going to talk. But there’s thousands or millions of people out there that we appreciate what he did in the wrestling business, the pro wrestling business and also in the MMA business.” [5:59 - 6:25]

Del Rio also blasted fans who have poked fun at Punk's UFC tenure. The former world champion stated that it's very easy to critique sitting on the couch and not in the cage.

“I have always said it, it’s so unfair how people and even other wrestlers go and talk c**p about his time in the UFC and about him getting involved in the MMA world. I always say the same to everybody, ‘hey please shhhhh be quiet,’ because you don’t even know how it is or what it is to go and train every day—and when you try something new, something different when you go from a sport like pro wrestling, into a full contact sport like MMA, it’s really easy for you to talk when you’re sitting on the couch and you’re not doing nothing." [4:10 - 4:58]

You can watch the full interview with Alberto Del Rio right here:

Will CM Punk ever return to AEW following the All Out controversy?

Following the controversial events after the All Out pay-per-view on September 4, The Straight Edge Superstar has been absent from AEW TV.

Punk was forced to vacate the AEW World Championship partially due to injury and partially due to his actions during his alleged backstage brawl with The Elite. According to Wade Keller on the PWTorch Audio Show, the former champion could part ways with the promotion following the altercation.

"I think this is noteworthy but not surprising [that] he excluded CM Punk's name as he talked about some of the biggest names who have held the title. That's a bit of a tell. As I talked with Jason Powell yesterday about - I am not expecting CM Punk to wrestle in AEW again. I'm not saying it's 100 percent sure thing but everything is pointing in the direction of some sort of buyout of his contract. We'll learn more eventually about that situation." (H/T WrestlingNews.co)

Besides Punk, The Elite was also suspended and stripped of their AEW World Trios Championship following All Out 2022. Fans will have to wait and see if they return to the company in the coming months.

Do you think CM Punk will be back in All Elite Wrestling anytime soon? Let us know in the comments section down below.

Season 2 of Nacion Lucha Libre will air on September 24. Check out the official website here and on Twitter.

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