The Undertaker reveals he respects 45-year-old star for what he did after quitting WWE
It's hard to earn The Undertaker's respect, but a former WWE Superstar gained more of it after he left the company. CM Punk's transition from pro wrestling to mixed martial arts was subpar, although he gained a lot of admiration for trying.
The Undertaker has been a huge fan of MMA for a long time and has even incorporated some submission moves into his arsenal, such as wearing MMA gloves. He has also attended several UFC events, confronting Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in 2010.
On the other hand, CM Punk tried his hand at the sport under the guidance of Duke Rufus after leaving WWE. His attempt at MMA is one of the reasons why The Deadman respects him.
He explained to UFC star Demetrious Johnson in detail on his MightyCast podcast:
"One thing with Punk that I do respect is the fact that he tried it. He had a huge name in wrestling before he tried mixed martial arts. He had a lot to lose because [wrestling] was his money maker, and then you go over [to MMA] and get your ass handed to you. I had a lot of respect for him and the fact that he gave it a shot. It was something he wanted to do. He did it. It didn't work out, and he's back where he should be, and everything is right in the world," The Phenom said. [H/T Fightful]
CM Punk went 0-1-1 in the UFC, losing his debut via submission to Mickey Gall. He initially suffered a lopsided defeat to Mike Jackson in his second fight, but it was overturned into a no-contest after the latter tested positive for marijuana.
The Undertaker wanted to fight in the UFC back in the 2000s
As mentioned, The Undertaker was a huge fan of MMA and was a big influence in his wrestling style in his 40s.
He was even interested in fighting in the UFC back then, but it didn't happen because of Vince McMahon and his lack of a martial arts background.
"It was probably 15 years ago, maybe more. UFC was really coming along, and I've always liked tests, testing myself in one way or another. I boxed a little coming up as a kid in my late teens but I think if I had had any kind of wrestling pedigree, I might have just tried to dip my toe in there... Occasionally, you want to test the waters and see how you match up with people's different genres and sports. That was probably the biggest reason why I didn't, and probably Vince would've had a coronary," The Undertaker said on the Shan and RJ Radio Show back in 2021. [H/T Wrestling, Inc.]
Despite not fighting in MMA, The Deadman still affected the UFC. His theme song has been used by stars such as Israel Adesanya and Michael "Venom" Page during their entrances before a fight.