WWE Legend ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper Says CM Punk Is A ‘Real Man’ For Leaving WWE And Joining The UFC

Whenever CM Punk is asked what his first professional wrestling memory was, he always talks about the famous Piper’s Pit segment with Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka where Roddy Piper smashed a coconut over his head. Punk also gives Piper a lot of credit for his desire to become a professional wrestler. In short, Punk has a lot of respect and admiration for the WWE Hall of Famer, and he’ll be happy to know that Piper has a lot of respect for Punk’s decision to move away from WWE, and go into the world of MMA.

Piper did an interview with MMA Junkie and talked about Punk’s decision, and called Punk a “real man” for leaving millions on the table in WWE to join the UFC.

“I didn’t know that he was proficient in martial arts before that. Then I saw him with one of the Gracies — he did a video. You know what? I give him all the respect in the world. I love the guy and he’s got the courage to leave some place where you have millions of dollars and to go on and try something else. That’s what a man’s made out of. How he’ll do there? You know, we’ll all watch. He’s a smart kid and I think he’ll do great.”

There’s still no update on when exactly CM Punk will make his long-awaited UFC debut, but most people are expecting it to take place late this year. Before Brock Lesnar officially re-signed with WWE, the idea of having Brock Lesnar’s return and CM Punk’s debut debut happen on the same card was thrown around. But unfortunately for the UFC, that can no longer happen.

CM Punk’s first opponent is another mystery, but the UFC has promised that it will be someone that the fans have at least heard of. When Punk first singed with the UFC back in December, there were people who believed that the UFC would give CM Punk someone with comparable experience, which would likely mean that it would be someone who was fresh from the amateur ranks.

All of Punk’s training partners and coaches at Roufusport say that Punk is coming along nicely, but most of them agree that he has a long way to go before he’s ready to step inside the octagon. The UFC is allowing Punk to take as much time as he needs to train and be prepared for his impending UFC debut, but it’s likely that Punk is feeling the pressure to make his debut before this year ends.

[Image via Fox Sports]