CM Punk says WWE’s current management is far more forgiving of young talent than the company was during Vince McMahon’s time in charge, pointing to an era when a wrestler could lose their job over something as small as a bad-looking punch.
Speaking on What’s Your Story? with Steph McMahon, the Undisputed WWE Champion said the promotion has moved away from a culture where a single misstep on the main roster could end a career.
“There’s NXT talent that come up and they get thrown on Raw, and it’s like it’s sink or swim,” Punk said. “But then they think one little mistake, it’s like the end of the world. It’s often not. I think it used to be. I think a lot of that’s left over from the old regime.”
Punk, who came up through WWE’s developmental system before his main-roster run, recalled watching call-ups disappear almost as quickly as they arrived.
“I remember people getting fired because their punches sucked. And then we would all be down there in Kentucky like, ‘Oh my God.’ You almost didn’t want to get called up,” Punk said. “You’re just like, ‘What happened? This was a great talent. They got sent up and they’re gone two weeks later. We thought for sure they were gonna make it.'”
He said the change comes down to both a lower washout rate and the people now making the calls.
“The turnover was a lot worse. I think it’s a lot better now,” Punk said. “The system’s a lot more accommodating, and I think there’s people in positions of power that actually want to see people succeed.”
WWE’s creative direction shifted after McMahon’s departure from the company, with Paul “Triple H” Levesque taking over as its head of creative. Levesque previously built and ran the NXT brand and has been credited with reshaping WWE’s developmental pipeline. Punk returned to WWE in late 2023 after nearly a decade away and has previously said he wants younger wrestlers to avoid the backstage friction he dealt with earlier in his career.
Punk is currently the Undisputed WWE Champion following his win over Sami Zayn, with his first defense set against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam.
