Mark Henry: I Saw CM Punk Try To Uplift Younger Talent In AEW

Mark Henry says CM Punk being stuck in his ways is not a bad thing.

Mark Henry says CM Punk being stuck in his ways is not a bad thing.

CM Punk signed with AEW in 2021, and he had a remarkable run with the company that was filled with controversy, from Brawl Out in 2022 to the backstage confrontation with Jack Perry that led to the former champion’s termination in September 2023. Different sides have conflicting views of Punk’s time with the company, and Mark Henry recently shared his thoughts.

Speaking on the Hall of Fame with Booker T and Brad Gilmore, Henry was asked why CM Punk didn’t work out in AEW. Booker T shared his belief that a talent like Punk has to go down to the younger wrestlers’ level, and he didn’t think Punk did that in order to bring them up.

“I disagree. I saw him try to uplift the younger talent. AEW’s not a small pool. AEW is, any time you can go to an arena and sell 80,000-plus tickets, you’re not little. I feel like Punk is a lot like some of the people in sports that I know. The people in sports, they hate the fact that college football and college students are getting paid money now. It’s an old-school mentality. The old-school mentality rubs young people the wrong way. Young people call you a boomer, or they say you’re old, or outdated. Some people are stuck in their ways. Punk is stuck in his way, and that’s not a knock. I like conviction. I like somebody that can stand to their guns, and they can debate with you on the fact that, you know what, this is why sometimes being an old will save your life. Because I knew better. I experienced it. I went through the fire. I feel like Punk’s delivery of some of that conviction fell on deaf ears,” Henry said.

Mark Henry previously commented on CM Punk getting fired. Click here to see what he had to say.

Fightful Select has released multiple reports about Punk since his AEW departure.

Check out the card for the October 18 episode of AEW Dynamite here. Fightful will have live coverage of the show as it airs.

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