CM Punk's former rival comments on the character arc of Phil Brooks in WWE

At the end of the day, CM Punk needed to be in WWE. The 45-year-old has iterated in the past that it is about selling tickets and attracting as many viewers as possible to the product.

Cited as the prodigal son of World Wrestling Entertainment, he left the company in 2014 with a bitter taste, bickering about the company while battered after years of giving to the business. However, a decade is a long time for things to change and people to grow. WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash recently praised CM Punk for his work of late.

Speaking on Kliq This, Nash claimed that it is more of the character development of Phil Brooks that we are witnessing on weekly programming today rather than the persona of CM Punk. But The Straight Edge Superstar has also managed to retain his roots, as evidenced by him ruffling feathers and provocating his peers.

The Hall of Famer took Punk's promo with Seth Rollins last week as an example, in which The Best in the World mentioned Seth's wife Becky Lynch, and their daughter Roux. As for WWE's creative team, Kevin Nash applauded their effort to weave the storyline around the former AEW star's triceps injury.

"He [CM Punk] hasn't been shoved down our throat, like he just kind of exists, like he continually gets to Drew [McIntyre]," Nash explained. "To the point now where Drew like storyline-wise is saddled ... they've done such a good job creatively with us accepting that he's out and that he's hurt that we're like yeah of course you're not going to attack him because he's not cleared ... you've got Punk who has caused all kinds of f*****g s**t, he's got a ton of heat, still super over and he hasn't touched anybody."

Kevin Nash was plunged into the Summer of Punk angle in 2011. While the two never got to face each other one-on-one, a decision allegedly made by Triple H, Nash played a crucial role in Punk's run in WWE during this time.

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Perhaps the million-dollar question regarding CM Punk heading into WWE SummerSlam...

This week on the flagship show, Drew McIntyre was reinstated after The Second City Saint requested RAW General Manager Adam Pearce to do so.

A SummerSlam showdown between The Scottish Warrior and CM Punk was teased at first. But McIntyre refused to adhere to Pearce's demand afterward, which was to apologize to the referees whom he attacked at Money in the Bank.

This led to Adam Pearce reminding The Scottish Warrior that the latter is still suspended. Seth Rollins wound up interrupting the segment by attacking Drew McIntyre, who looked ready to get into another altercation with Pearce.

A new report stated that Rollins will be involved in the ongoing storyline, but he will not be part of a singles match between McIntyre and Punk. The question is...will CM Punk be cleared to compete at The Biggest Party of The Summer on August 3?