WWE News: CM Punk Tweets Praise of the Young Bucks
CM Punk claimed to have lost his passion for professional wrestling when he left WWE in 2014. But there is one tag-team that continues to catch his interest.
The former WWE Champion tweeted praise to Matt and Nick Jackson, also known as “The Young Bucks,” after the team lost their PWG tag-team titles on Saturday.
Punk responded to Matt Jackson’s photo on Twitter depicting himself and his brother with zero titles after having held numerous simultaneously just two months ago.
You guys are number one in my heart. And merch sales. That's all that really matters. https://t.co/nXIo7lhMDz
— player/coach (@CMPunk) March 19, 2017
While this may be Punk’s first wrestling-related reference in a long time — excluding pressing questions during interviews prior to his UFC 203 debut loss against Mickey Gall — the former champion and the Jacksons have previously shown mutual admiration for each other.
During his infamous appearance on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling Podcast, Punk said he would “go wrestle the Young Bucks in PWG” if he ever considered returning to the squared circle, ruling out a return to WWE.
Last month, the Young Bucks appeared in a Q&A video with fellow Bullet Club members Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes and Adam Cole and said Punk would be a welcome addition to the stable, as well as WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.
“I think he’s probably the only guy left that I would probably let into the Bullet Club…and Hulk Hogan,” Matt Jackson said. “I talk to Punk, he’s my buddy. We text every now and then. But I told him ‘whenever you want to come back, please text me, and somehow we’ll make this work out.’ I would love to work with Punk, he’s one of my favorites of all time. What a great talker. That’s the one thing missing from the indies, is guys who can talk like Punk.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbGrTJey59U
Prior to his WWE tenure, Punk was one of independent wrestling’s biggest stars. Rhodes, who left WWE in 2016 and has since made a successful indie run himself, credited Punk for helping him early in his wrestling career.
“Punk’s the best, man,” Rhodes said. “When I got to Louisville, he didn’t have to be because he was the big dog there at OVW, but he was the only one bringing folks in, showing you around, helping you out. Honest, but not a d*** about it. Punker’s special.”
At this point, wrestling fans will be excited about Punk making any wrestling-related reference and take it as a potential comeback. While he’s still under contract with UFC, there hasn’t been any confirmation about his future with the company since his debut.
However, he was recently called out by Vitor Belfort, who is coming off three consecutive losses and is closing in on retirement.
“It would have to be an interesting fighter, but not a top fighter”, Belfort said. “I’ve been fighting good guys before: Dan Henderson, [Chris] Weidman, Jacare [Souza], [Gegard] Mousasi and now Kelvin [Gastelum]. These are all hard fights, so if you can book a smoother fight… What’s the name of that guy from WWE? CM Punk would be a good fight”, Belfort laughed. “CM Punk, let’s get it on. That would be a really good fight.”
Still, it doesn’t seem like either Punk or WWE will be making up any time soon. The two parties have been involved in a lawsuit that stemmed from accusations made during Punk’s AOW podcast appearance.
The company has also taken numerous steps to ignoring the former champion’s legacy, including excluding him from a recent poll listing The Undertaker’s WrestleMania opponents.
While a WWE comeback may not be possible in the near future, the prospect of CM Punk joining the Young Bucks as a member of Bullet Club is very enticing.
[Featured image by WWE]
