"All of us grow & change" - Shawn Michaels on CM Punk's WWE return and mentoring young talent
WWE Superstar CM Punk returned to the Stamford-based promotion after almost a decade. Recently, Shawn Michaels commented on The Best in the World assisting a few talents from the NXT brand.
On December 10, 2023, The Heartbreak Kid introduced fans to Punk at the NXT Deadline event. The two men reunited after a long time and shared a wholesome moment in the ring. The Straight Edge Superstar claimed he grew up watching Michaels and clicked a selfie with the former WWE Champion.
Before Punk made his WWE in-ring return at Royal Rumble 2024, he trained with NXT superstars Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, and Lexis King at the Performance Center.
While speaking to Adrian Hernandez on The Unlikely podcast, Shawn Michaels was asked to share his two cents on CM Punk's return to WWE and mentoring some NXT stars on his journey.
"I've always liked him and I've always appreciated him and I'll say this... I certainly don't want to put words in his mouth. But I think all of us grow and change in one form or another and if you don't I just don't know if that's something you ought to be overly proud about. You grow and get better with time and wisdom," Michael said. [From 07:35 to 07: 56]
The Heartbreak Kid mentioned that The Second City Saint appreciates his second chance and is thrilled to be where he is currently. The 58-year-old WWE legend added:
"All I can say is that he's been extremely supportive of everything we do here at NXT. Every time he's been down here, been a joy to work with and I think for a lot of us. When you walk in the doors here at NXT that is the culture we really want around here, it's what we pour into." [08:29 to 08:48]
Watch the full video below:
Shawn Michaels opened up about recent additions to WWE NXT
During the same interview, Michaels reflected upon signing talents such as Shawn Spears, Je'Von Evans, and ex-AEW star Ethan Page.
The WWE Hall of Famer noted that getting talent from different backgrounds and not just the NIL program has been his ideology. This is a practice that is also followed by Triple H for the main roster.
"It's certainly the philosophy that I've always had, I know Hunter's had...we just want to bring the best sports entertainment we can to everybody that's watching. We want to put on banger after banger fantastic wrestling matches," Michaels said.
As of now, CM Punk is off television, recovering from his injury. Fans have already speculated that The Straight Edge Superstar would possibly cost Drew McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship at Clash at the Castle against Damian Priest. It remains to be seen if these speculations come to life.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Adrian Hernandez's YouTube channel and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.