Booker T Says CM Punk Should Give TNA Wrestling A Try

On a recent edition of his “Hall of Fame” podcast, two-time WWE Hall of Famer Booker T discussed the possibility of CM Punk joining TNA Wrestling following his AEW departure and WWE reportedly deciding against signing him.

Punk was unceremoniously fired by AEW this past September following his backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In 2023.

You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:

On CM Punk potentially going to TNA: “It sounds like the Global Wrestling Federation. The money is gone. If you’re thinking about going up there, the money is gone. But you can have a lot of fun. You can have. Nah, man, I think. I think. Look at it like this. If Punk was to go to Impact Wrestling and be a part of that crew down there, I think it’s definitely something that could work. I really do, just because I think it’s a lot of young guys down there. I think it’s a lot of young guys just like that, that could learn and maybe look towards seeing Punk for some guidance or whatever, I don’t know. I don’t know how well that’s going to work out or anything like that, but that, that, that, that’s the way I see that. But the one thing I also think about with CM Punk going to Impact Wrestling, unlike AIW, unlike WWE. His wrestling is going to be more spotlighted on, you know, just because it’s smaller crowds. everything is going to be seen. You’re not going to be able to hide anything in an arena like that. And one thing about getting older is you’re going to lose a step. That’s just that’s just the way it is. And I just think it would be so much more noticeable as well, let’s just say like this, you would be looking at CM Punk’s work so much more than anything else outside of he’s doing anything outside of anything that he would be doing at TNA. I’m talking about promos. I’m talking about angles. You’re going to be looking at his work more than anything, I would think, and I think that’s a position I wouldn’t want to put myself in. And the reason I say that is because I always refer back to my old breakdancing days when I was like. 14, 15, 16 and man, I was really, really good. I was really, really good. And then 16, 17 I started thinking about girls. All right. 18, 19, 20 I was really thinking about girls. And then when I thought I could dance like I could when I was 14, 15, 16 those little kids, eight my ass up. And I just did, no, I’m serious. So, I would literally live off of who I used to be back in the day. As far as my dancing. It was one of those types of deals. So I just feel like that would stand out so much more than anything if Punk were to go to Impact Wrestling. I keep wanting to talk about the TNA impact! I don’t know which one I want to talk about, you know?”

On if Punk wanted to be part of Reality of Wrestling: “I say heck yeah, man. Come on down and be a part of the road. That’s what I would say. I mean, Punk is somebody that I still feel like has a lot of value for one of these companies out there, I really do. So I’m not saying that TNA is a small fry or anything. I think I don’t I don’t think it’s about the size of the company or anything like that. I think it’s about the legacy that Punk wants to leave in the business more than anything. I think the departure from. WWE wasn’t pretty. I don’t think the departure from AEW was nice or anything like that to be with….. walk away from this thing. And look back on it with some fun memories because you don’t get a chance to redo. This is it, this is it. It’s. And one can say, well, he can go to Japan. I remember MVP and he’ll tell you this himself MVP before he left WWE he was like man my dream is to go work in Japan. Man, I can’t wait, I can’t wait. I just love that style. This, that, whatnot in the other. And told MVP say brother, there’s a whole lot different working in Japan at 25 than it is at 35. He didn’t understand what I meant until he went over there. And then when he did, how many tours did he go? One. That was it, all right? Because it’s. You don’t want to finish your career over there. You want to finish your career right here in the good old United States of America. That’s what you want to do. So I feel like if he was to go to TNA, he definitely could rebuild that trust with people. I think more than anything. And I think that’s what people are going to remember about CM punk more than anything. It’s not going to be a match. It’s not going to be the pipe bomb moment. It’s going to be how. And I say this because I was just in Lexington, Kentucky on Sunday and had an awesome time. I was with one of my students. He was in the main event working with this kid. I invited the kid down to the reality of wrestling to give him a shot. Hopefully we can get him on television. You know, he could be seen as well and moved to the next level. But when I left there the promoter, he was like, man, I just want to thank you because you’re like one of the nicest guys I ever met. I stayed from the beginning of the show all the way to the end. I signed autographs. I didn’t sit down. One time. I shook everybody’s hand. We had a story. And with the boys there, he had a nice crew.”

On whether Punk is more of a liability than an asset: “And what? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, okay. I’m not going to speak on the Ring of Honor thing because I wasn’t there. I just heard stories. About Ring of Honor as well. And that was at the beginning. I know what it was like in WWE. We saw what it was like at AEW and the thing with AEW said, give it a minute, the luck, get a love affair a minute, and then we’ll really see how that thing plays out as far as how the boys really, really do act. It’s like having a girlfriend. It’s like an abusive boyfriend. He ain’t going to abuse the girl on the first date. He’s the nicest guy in the world. He brings flowers, opens the car door for her and everything. And then next thing he had gone through a jealous rage and he lost his damn, that’s. That happens. And that’s exactly what happened with this love affair as well. Somewhat the same scenario, Tony. Good. You know, but that’s another story. But no, I feel the same way. Punk. He has his, he has his ways. And a lot of times from outside looking in, he wants it to be a lot in his favor. And I just say that just from what I’ve seen more than anything, I don’t want to. I don’t want to sit here and bash him, Punk or anything, because I’m trying to say something nice about what Punk has a chance to do, just like I said. When he came in, the first thing I said when Punk came in, before all the trouble, before all the turmoil, said Punk is in a hell of a position. I said, he’s in a position of power. He’s in a position, you know, of confidence. He’s in a position where young guys are going to be able to come to him for guidance and advice. But he also said he’s going to have to go down to their level in order for them to come up to his level. We had Mark Henry on the show and Mark Henry said Punk actually did try to do that for me. From the outside looking in, I can’t say whether you know whether he did or didn’t, but coming from Mark Henry, someone who’s there, I’m not going to say he’s lying or anything, but you know, what was the approach? TNA will be the spot. I agree. If he’s going to, if he’s going to land somewhere, TNA will be the spot because I really feel like TNA could use the rub. Use the rub. People’s eyes will be on TNA people as well as it will show you would actually get a chance to see him Punk’s star power. If the needle moves for TNA. If TNA. If TNA can get back in this race. Because right now they are running the, you know, a third and they way back there. But just imagine. If TNA numbers can start competing with a W, oh man, then people are going to be saying Tony Khan made a mistake. So that’s what’s going to happen, right? Right. That’s what’s going to happen. That’s what I see. But I ain’t trying to stir nothing up.”

On CM Punk dealing with the younger generation: “It’s one of those types of deals. With these young guys these days, man, they feel like they’re running the ship and it’s their thing. It’s theirs. These Young Bucks, Kenny Omega’s. And I’m serious. I mean, that’s just the way this young generation, what do you call them? Generation Z, right? Z, right. Yeah. Gen Zers. Yeah, right. That’s what I’m talking about. You know, it’s their world. You know what I mean? So for me. That’s a situation that you have to approach with kick up, kick gloves. You got to really approach that from a perspective of where. You approach the proper way, otherwise it could blow up in your face. And obviously, that’s what happened.”

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