While there still may be a few weeks left in the latest edition of the “Summer of CM Punk,” fans have, for better or worse, been treated to “Hulk Hogan Week,” as, after making a much-publicized appearance on Logan Paul's ImPaulsive, the “Hulkamaniac” decided to talk wrestling with Bill Apter of Sportskeeda.
And what did Hogan want to talk about? Well, one topic of conversation he was very interested in discussing was CM Punk, “The Voice of the Voiceless,” and one of the top stars on RAW.
Asked for his feelings on Punk, Hogan let it be known that he's a massive fan of the “Best in the World,” even if they haven't had a chance to meet formally just yet.
“Yes, I am. Big fan of CM Punk. I just really pray that he stays healthy. I've never had an opportunity to meet him. I guess I missed the boat on that one when I came back for one of the RAWs. I was kind of out of my mind flying back from LA with Rob Van Dam, if you get what I'm saying. I basically spent my whole night just trying to get my act together before I went in front of the camera [laughs],” Hogan explained via Fightful. “CM Punk apparently was there, and that was the only time I really had a chance to meet him. Big fan of his. I just think if he can get healthy and get this run going again, it would be just triple barrels WWF as far as power. If you get CM Punk up and running where it's real consistent, I think it would be the coup de grace for the WWE that would really set him free.”
So, what specifically does Hogan like about Punk as a wrestler? Well, Apter asked that question, too, and let it be known that he likes the “Second City Saint's” believability, as he has a sort of “outlaw mentality” that draws fans in.
“First off, he's very believable. He's very, very believable in the ring. He just seems real real. He's got that outlaw mentality. But the cool part about it is that he speaks the truth,” Hogan noted. “He really rolls it out there straight. He's very opinionated. Lot of people agree with his opinion, and it's kind of like that the stuff that a lot of people are afraid to say, he'll say it. So it's almost like he's a truth-teller. He really has it figured it, which is cool. So that's why I'd really love to see him stay healthy and not have any more accidents happen. I'd like to see this CM Punk run last for years.”
On paper, Hogan's breakdown of what makes Punk popular is pretty spot on, but that doesn't mean the “Best in the World” is looking for a compliment from one of the top draws the business has ever known. Why? Well, because Punk sort of hates Hogan for more reasons than one.
CM Punk has been anti-Hulk Hogan for years now
So, if you were a bit confused by the whole “CM Punk hates Hulk Hogan” of it all, then you are in luck, as it doesn't take too long to find old examples of the “Best in the World” talking some serious smack on Mr. Hollywood, including this gem from 2021, when the then AEW star called him a, well, read it for yourself:
“You throwing me – throwing my name in the hat with somebody like Steve Austin, who arguably, the biggest star our business has ever seen… A lot of this is subjective though, right?” Punk explained via Cageside Seats. “You can make the argument like, ‘Oh no. A Hulk Hogan's a bigger star than Steve Austin. But then you look at business periods, and eras, and box office receipts, and like all that other stuff. I think Hogan's a piece of s**t, so obviously I'm gonna be like ‘Steve Austin, yay.' [laughs] That's another podcast.”
Why does Punk dislike Hogan? Well, some of it probably comes down to what led to his Gawker lawsuit, some of it likely comes down to how he treated new talents as an established star, and some still likely came from their non-meeting on that aforementioned RAW, which big the Hulkster's own admission drew some backstage heat from the “Second City Saint.” While only time will tell if the promotion is able to get the two men back together, as Hogan did sign a new five-year contract with the promotion, it sure seems like their relationship isn't too dissimilar from Punk's with Kevin Owens, only for a very different reason indeed.
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