On paper, there are a multitude of reasons why WWE would pull the trigger on re-signing CM Punk.

From his initial impact on the ratings, to the message it would send to AEW and the big-time matches that could be added to future cards against the likes of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, there are few free agents on the market who could have such a swift and meaningful impact on WWE in the short-term as the “Best in the World,” even if his schtick is notoriously not built to last forever.

But do you want to know one of the reasons why Booker T believes CM Punk could be an asset to WWE? Well, because joining the promotion would give him a chance to prove he's a locker room leader, something he distinctly was not in AEW.

“I let those guys know that I was down to help them. I wasn't there to take anything away from them. I was there to elevate everyone's games to the next level,” Booker recalled of his time in TNA, via Wrestling Inc.

“The reason why I think CM Punk could have did a whole lot better than I could have is because he was getting paid a whole lot more money. And that right there for me, if I'm getting paid, I'm going to come over here and try to help this thing last as long as I can because I want to get this check for the next 10 years.”

Would CM Punk actually consider going over to WWE and playing ball not just for the massive, seven-figure salary but also to stick it to Tony Khan and AEW for not believing in him or his vision? I mean, maybe, that seems like a whole lot of work for some spite, but then again, millions of dollars can be a pretty good motivator, as Khan learned when he initially signed the “Best in the World.”

Booker T comments on CM Punk's relationship with Fox.

Elsewhere, during his musing on CM Punk on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T recalled his time working with CM Punk on Backstage, the WWE-centric show that used to air on FS1.

Though Punk wasn't exactly given free rein to do as he pleased on the show, he was, by Booker's recitation, very popular with the Fox brass.

“Well, let’s say they could have brought him back on Backstage. I don’t know about the seven years. The six years. Okay. That’s fine. You know what I mean? But Backstage, it seemed like the door was kind of cracked open. A little bit of the window was, you know, slightly open. Seemed like, you know, some talks would have been happening because Punk was as close to WWE then as he had been in the last seven years. I do know. There again, I was listening to Disco Inferno talk on this show, keeping it 100 with Konnan, and he was talking about this situation with Punk when he was at Fox,” Booker T said via Wrestling Headlines.

“And I tell you, man, those guys were so accurate as far as the, the, the, the stuff that they were talking about and the language that they were using; I was like, wow, they must have got an inside scoop from somebody. They were talking about the stuff and the language they were using. I was like, wow, they must have got an inside scoop from somebody. Because Fox really did adore CM Punk. Really. Some of the people there, some of the I wouldn’t say, FOX, you know, in general, but certain people at FOX over that, that show up backstage, they really adored seeing Punk. They wanted him to be a part of that company and was really willing to go out on a limb, you know, to do their part to make sure Punk was, you know, you know, in that company. And there again, it didn’t happen. It didn’t happen for a reason. Was it the right reason or the wrong reason? I don’t know, but it didn’t happen. But everything just goes. And Konnan was talking about that situation on the show. It was spot on, 100%.”

Now granted, just because CM Punk was popular a half-decade ago when he appeared on a clip/panel show on FS1 doesn't mean he would be at the top of Fox's demands list from WWE moving forward, as many of those people likely don't even work for the company anymore and as the networks won't even hold the rights to SmackDown for much longer, as USA purchased the rights for the show starting in 2024. Still, if Fox pushes hard for it, maybe that could be the differencemaker in bringing the former AEW World Champion back to television once more. Who knows, stranger things have happened.