Booker T impressed by what CM Punk did at the end of the Royal Rumble: "That's the mark of someone who knows what they're doing"

The Royal Rumble is in the books, and even though CM Punk is out with an untimely injury, his performance at the premium live event caught the attention of many fans and pundits. Booker T praised Punk for reading the crowd and seemingly turning heel during the closing moments of the Royal Rumble match.

After an eventful match, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes battled as the final survivors in a back-and-forth exchange that had fans on the edge of their seats.

Rhodes was getting massive babyface reactions, and Punk cleverly began working the match as a heel, which Booker T instantly caught.

During the post-Rumble edition of the Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T credited CM Punk with doing what most wrestlers would have ignored.

"You know what? I've got to give Punk his due; he did his job. He turned heel. He made the crowd do their job. He knew that at the end of the match, it had to be at its peak - the highest decibel level. That's the mark of someone who knows what they're doing," noted the WWE Hall of Famer. [46:29 - 46:50]

Booker T further stated that many performers don't pick up the finer nuances during matches and miss out on moments that could elevate a contest.

The former World Heavyweight Champion said that, unlike many people, he quickly observed the change in how CM Punk wrestled in the Rumble main event, which was done to make Cody Rhodes' victory even more impactful.

"A lot of the guys don't understand that. A lot of guys really don't understand that little bit of nuance that you just talked about," Booker T added. "A lot of people may not have even seen it, literally because you're not looking for something like that. But something that I noticed immediately and then went, 'Wow, good job!'" [46:52 - 47:10]

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That was a moment: Booker T on CM Punk's viral line from the Royal Rumble match

During his sequence with Cody Rhodes, CM Punk loudly mentioned that he had no plans on losing to Dusty's kid, which several people believed was a giveaway for The American Nightmare's win.

Punk's seemingly impromptu line, however, added to the proceedings and made the final stages of the match all the more exciting.

In the same podcast, Booker T said that CM Punk showed true veteran instincts to deliver the statement during the match, something that many others in the business would have missed.

"Listen, man, he did his job," said the WWE legend. "That was a moment. A lot of guys would have missed that moment right there, thinking that it would have made them look a certain way. Exactly (worrying about putting other guys over too much). I give him a lot of credit for that." [47:11- 47:48

Unfortunately, CM Punk suffered an injury during the Royal Rumble that will keep him out of action for months and, most importantly, off the WrestleMania card.

Booker T also spoke about Punk's injury setback, and he hopes to see the "Best in the World" experience a swift recovery just like all the fans.

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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Hall of Fame podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.