"He’s in a better spot than when I was that age"- CM Punk praises rising AEW star
CM Punk is quite impressed with the young talent in AEW, and Daniel Garcia recently became the newest star who received praise from the former WWE Champion.
On Friday night, The Second City Saint and Red Death faced off on AEW Rampage in CM Punk's third match in AEW. Garcia is only 23 years old, but he had already made quite a name for himself through his work on the independent scene.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Punk spoke highly of his latest opponent, both as a competitor and as a person.
"Daniel Garcia is light-years beyond his age,” Punk said. “He’s just shy of half my age, and I can only compare him to when I was that young. He’s in a better spot than when I was that age. Everything builds off a great foundation, and he’s very fundamentally sound."
"He’s trained by Pepper Parks [AEW wrestler The Blade], who is an excellent f------ wrestler," Punk continued. "He’s respectful, he listens, and he’s not corny and doesn’t kiss a--. He’s everything I possibly want in a wrestler on a television show."
On #AEWRampage this week, CM Punk faces Daniel Garcia, the AEW World Tag Team Championships go on the line and Brian Cage takes on Ricky Starks in a Philly Street Fight. Catch all of this action on Eurosport! #AEWonTNT
Video courtesy: @EurosportIN https://t.co/NXWGPvFM2H
CM Punk is one of many high-profile opponents AEW's Daniel Garcia is set to face
I feel like I became a better professional wrestler tonight being in the same ring as Alex Shelley. It’s a privilege.
Daniel Garcia wrestled Alex Shelley on Thursday night ahead of his matches against Minoru Suzuki and CM Punk this weekend. In the same interview, Punk proceeded to say that Garcia could be "the next guy" by continuing in the footsteps he, Shelley and Suzuki established.
These three stars are huge names in the professional wrestling business in different ways. For a man as young as Daniel Garcia to be facing them all in one week just proves how renowned he is on the independent circuit and beyond.
What do you think about Punk's comments? Have you enjoyed Garcia's run in AEW so far? Sound off below.