Wrestling veteran talks about CM Punk's value and worth to WWE ahead of contract renegotiations
WWE Superstar CM Punk has been a major attraction for the company since his blockbuster return last year. He is scheduled to face Drew McIntyre in a massive singles encounter at SummerSlam 2024.
Earlier this week, Wrestle Purists reported that Punk was in talks with WWE about restructuring his deal. The Second City Saint was working on a short-term deal signed moments before he returned at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 and the two parties would be renegotiating a more detailed contract.
While speaking on his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast this week, wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell mentioned that Punk was a huge needle-mover for WWE in merchandise sales. He pointed out that the Second City Saint probably sold a ton of merchandise whenever the company was in his hometown of Chicago. The veteran detailed how those sales could make up for his salary in the long run.
"How's his gimmicks doing? Good? See they get your worth up right off the bat. If you can sell those gimmicks out there, because they make a killing off those gimmicks. Like in Chicago, there's no telling how much merchandise he sells just in Chicago alone, not counting online stuff and the other live events they do. But, that gets all figured in his total pay. Some guys may sell enough gimmicks to pay their whole salary. Hard to believe, isn't it?" Dutch Mantell said. [33:42 - 34:33]
You can watch the podcast below:
Fans would be waiting to see Punk clash against Drew at The Biggest Party of The Summer.
CM Punk is a top merchandise seller for WWE
This week, CM Punk represented WWE at the San Diego Comic-Con. He spoke with media outlets about his merchandise and new action figure reveals.
Punk claimed that he had a lot of tattoos, making it a nightmare for action figure companies to add them to his action figures.
The Straight Edge Superstar was happy to be back with WWE and hoped the companies would make more toys in his likeness in the future.
Now that CM Punk is a prominent member of the roster, it will be interesting to see the kind of deal he gets from WWE.
If you use the quotes from the first half of this article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and add an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.