CM Punk won't make a major backstage mistake like The Undertaker did 25 years ago, says wrestling legend (exclusive)

Punk and The Phenom were once on-screen rivals
Punk and The Phenom were once on-screen rivals

CM Punk and The Undertaker were once rivals on-screen, and The Phenom had an issue with Punk's attire as World Champion. Although The Undertaker is widely regarded as the most respected backstage figure in WWE, not everything he did was perfect. Wrestling legend Vince Russo said that Punk wouldn't make one major mistake that The Undertaker allegedly did.

On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws, Vince Russo was joined by host Dr. Chris Featherstone and 2-time Impact Wrestling/TNA World Champion EC3. They discussed all things CM Punk, including his conduct backstage and how things could change.

Vince Russo went into detail about how both The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin refused to turn heel and wanted a babyface vs. babyface match for the main event of SummerSlam 1998 - all because they were good friends. Using that as an example, Russo stated that CM Punk has a better idea of what's best for business and wouldn't make the same mistake that The Undertaker or Steve Austin did:

"My point to you is that the reason why I took a stand was because I knew in my mind without a shadow of a doubt that it was what was best for business. It wasn't about what Vince Russo wanted. I don't think [CM] Punk is that kind of guy bro. He's too much of a deeper thinker. I think when he really draws that line in the sand, he believes this is what's best for business."

He continued:

"Because like I said, I was in that spot and I was so adamant about it because I knew it was what was best for business. But I also understood 1000% why Vince did what he did. It's 'Taker and Austin. This is the kind of match they wanted. I totally got it, but I also knew they weren't going to get the reaction they thought they were going to get." [9:38 - 10:40]

You can watch the full video below:

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Jim Ross revealed the reason why people backstage in WWE found it hard to deal with CM Punk

CM Punk's backstage conduct has always been a topic of discussion, but his position was entirely different when he was an up-and-coming performer in his first few years in WWE.

Jim Ross revealed on his podcast that in the late 2000s and early 2010s, people backstage in WWE didn't know how to deal with the blunt and straightforward nature of CM Punk:

"He was not an a**-kisser and because that was so contrary to the normal behavior of a top guy in any wrestling territory that I’ve ever been in, any of them, he was just a different breed of cat and folks did not know how to deal with him, simple as that."

It's going to be interesting to see whether Punk's history of backstage issues comes to the forefront in what might be the last chance of his career.


If you take any quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

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Edited by Rahul Madurawe
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