On Monday Night RAW, Drew McIntyre let it be known that he has absolutely no interest in sharing a locker room with CM Punk.

Sure, Punk is popular, and sure, he's already signed to WWE, meaning they would be co-workers one way or another, but if the “Scottish Warrior” had his say – which clearly he didn't, considering how things shook out – he would have to share a locker room with the “Best in the World,” as he's traveled the world with Phil Brooks in the past, and didn't really want to again.

So naturally, when McIntyre went on The Bump to discuss his activities on RAW, he would continue to shoot on Punker for anything and everything he had issues with, right? Not necessarily, as McIntyre actually took a more diplomatic approach to his return, celebrating Punk for being an asset to the company on television.

“I obviously recognize he's big for business, he's a huge name. He draws a lot of eyeballs, that's very clear when you just look at the numbers,” Drew McIntyre said via Fightful. “I'm a bigger-picture person. I tend to use that criminology degree and look at, beyond all reasonable doubt, look at the evidence, and I'm not going to go into great details right now because now is not the time, but what I said on RAW is there are so few people on the current roster that have been on the same roster as him for years and years. I signed when I was 22, I was actually 21 when I signed, but I was on television when I was 22 in 2007. I spent years. I was around the person, I know the person. I know what he's truly like. I'm aware. It's cool. It does numbers. That's awesome for right now. I'm going to wait and see right now because I can't control who gets signed and who doesn't. I have stories, I'm going to keep them to myself, and in the future, if we cross paths, I ain't the same guy I was in 2010. I'm a lot bigger, smarter, more experienced, and I'll drop his a**.”

You know, you really have to give props to McIntyre; he's a businessman above all and will do what he needs to in order to get where he needs to be, as fans learned at Survivor Series when he teamed up with Judgment Day against Team Cody Rhodes in WarGames. Who knows, maybe McIntyre actually views Punk as a more vulnerable opponent than Seth Rollins and would happily accept a title change at the top of the card if it led to him holding up the strap at some point in the future? Considering how Punk title reigns went in AEW, that would be a pretty decent bet on McIntyre's part.

Grayson Waller is a fan of both CM Punk and Ace Steel.

While Drew McIntyre is cautiously optimistic about CM Punk's contributions on-screen, even if he doesn't particularly like him behind the scenes, one of his co-workers, Grayson Waller, is far more optimistic overall about working alongside the “Best in the World,” even if he isn't going to be directly performers alongside him all that often, considering he's a SmackDown Superstar.

Discussing Punk's return in an interview with Adrian Hernandez, Waller explained his previous comments regarding the “Second City Saint” before celebrating how he and his best friend Ace Steel have both had a positive impact on WWE.

“I didn't realize how wrong the internet was about everything until I came to WWE, and I was actually backstage and saw some things. I don't think there is anything but positive energy about CM Punk coming back. The entire roster right now is great, from top to bottom. Everyone is challenging each other, everyone wants to be the top guy, but no one is stepping on anyone to get there. Maybe me, I don't mind doing that, but everyone is working together. We want this product to succeed, and I think that's what's happening,” Grayson Waller said via Fightful.

“Everyone is buzzing to have him back. Why would you not want to have this guy who can cut incredible promos, he can have great matches, who the crowd wants to see, who is super controversial? If you don't want him back here, you're stupid type of thing. For me, personally, I said some things online about Punk when I heard the rumors. I like to play with the rumors and have some fun, that type of thing. I got to meet him recently, and that's all I'll say about that. I was trained in NXT originally by Ace Steel, who is obviously Punk's coach as well. I know the type of training he went through. Ace Steel is a great trainer. He's hard-nosed, very to the point. He got me a lot of my first matches in NXT. I have nothing but positive things to say about Ace and nothing but positive things to say currently about Punk. I'm sure that'll change in the future.”

Is there a world where Ace Steel returns to WWE? Well, considering Punk has been spending plenty of time in the Performance Center as of late, it's worth wondering if WWE is approaching a whole new world where the “Best in the World” has a genuine influence on the future of the promotion with a role in Orlando once his time in the ring shifts from full-timer to “special attraction.” If that's the goal, well, getting in with young performers like Waller is a wise way to get there, as so goes the young, often goes the proverbial country.