CM Punk On AJ Mendez Returning To Wrestling With WOW Role, Daniel Garcia’s Potential

CM Punk was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated ahead of tonight’s AEW Rampage, and the AEW star discussed Daniel Garcia’s potential, AJ Mendez returning to wrestling as an executive producer for WOW, and much more. Here’s what Punk had to say:

CM Punk on the culture being different in AEW and the reaction he’s received from the crowd since returning: “It hits me on a different level for a lot of reasons,” Punk says. “I’m not the kind to stand in the back and wait to go out. I’m running around backstage and I’m mingling. There’s a group of people, with their faces constantly changing, always around. And just seeing the look on their faces, that hits me right in the chest. Wrestling is different. You’re not supposed to be a ‘mark’ and you’re not supposed to take pictures with someone you share a locker room with. The culture is different in AEW. I get excited when Adam Cole’s music hits. I think he can see that on my face. There is an excitement in the locker room, and then I see the fans, and it’s amazing. Every new city I go to, these people haven’t seen me in seven years. It’s like Aug. 20 all over again for me.”

On Daniel Garcia’s potential: “Daniel Garcia is light-years beyond his age. He’s just shy of half my age, and I can only compare him to when I was that young. He’s in a better spot than when I was that age. Everything builds off a great foundation, and he’s very fundamentally sound. He’s trained by Pepper Parks [AEW wrestler The Blade], who is an excellent f—— wrestler. He’s respectful, he listens, and he’s not corny and doesn’t kiss a–. He’s everything I possibly want in a wrestler on a television show.”

On his wife, AJ Mendez, returning to wrestling as an executive producer and color commentator for WOW: “I’m very excited for her. She’s doing what she wants to do. She’s going to get to write and use her voice to do something that she maybe thought she wouldn’t get the chance to do again. It’s no bumps, and it’s a chance to help foster and grow the next generation of females in wrestling. That’s a perfect, perfect spot for her.”