After rapidly burning through his bridges in AEW, going from a performer worthy of dedicating an entire show to his return to a man released with cause for assaulting a co-worker and threatening his boss, CM Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series on what was effectively a last chance deal, with the potential for the “Second City Saint” to headline WrestleMania or burn out in spectacular fashion equally on the table.

Since then, Punk's appearances have sort of been a mixed bag, with a few great promos, a few questionable promos, some fantastic stuff with Drew McIntyre, and the same old injury bug that bit him repeatedly in AEW making an unfortunate return, with the “Best in the World” tearing his triceps in his first and only televised match back in WWE thus far.

Can Punk keep his nose clean and his body cleared long enough to establish himself as a true main eventer, capable of headlining television weekly, wrestling regularly, and holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship over his head with pride? Or will it all fall apart like it has plenty of times – and at plenty of places – before?

Discussing his personal relationship with the “Second City Saint,” in an interview with Adrian Hernandez, Shawn Michaels celebrated Punk for taking advantage of his second chance with WWE, noting that he's proud of the growth he's seen in the time they've shared together in NXT.

“He's been fantastic. I've always liked him and have always appreciated him. All of us, and I certainly don't want to put words in his mouth, but all of us grow and change in one form or another. If you don't, I don't think that's something to be overly proud of. We're supposed to grow and get better with time and wisdom,” Shawn Michaels told Adrian Hernandez via Fightful.

“He's come to appreciate, the same as me, that second chance and wanting to maybe do some things differently. It's not so much about regrets and things like that because I think he would tell you that he's thrilled with where he's at. To change anything might alter where he's at. That's the way I always felt. It doesn't mean you didn't make mistakes, or you might have wanted to do something differently. This is just the road you traveled, and where you're at is a fantastic place. All I can say is that he's been extremely supportive of everything we do here at NXT. Every time he's been here, he's been a joy to work with.”

Interesting stuff, right? Well, wait, it gets even better, as HBK had plenty more to say on the subject of Punk, NXT, and the point of the developmental brand: learning from one's mistakes to become a little bit better each day.

Shawn Michaels is proud of CM Punk's work in NXT.

Discussing CM Punk and his occasional appearances on NXT further with Adrian Hernandez, the Heartbreak Kid explained the atmosphere he wants to cultivate in Orlando and how, even as someone two decades older than some of the brand's stars, the “Second City Saint” can fit into his vision as an asset both in front of and behind the screen.

“When you walk through the doors at NXT, that's the culture that we really want around here. It's something we cultivated,” Shawn Michaels explained. “We won't have anything but that, which is positive energy and giving back and supporting the future of the business that has been good to us. If you buy into that, you can exist here at NXT. If you don't, it's not something we want to be around. It doesn't matter to us how you go about coming to that place in your life and your career, but if it's something you're willing to do and you want to be someone who makes a positive influence on somebody here, we'll welcome you anytime and twice on Sunday. He's been really good, it's a pleasure to have him. He brings something different to the table than other people. That's what we want. We have diversity here. No one idea has to be the right idea. Many different ways, especially in this line of work, to creatively get us where we want. Anytime somebody wants to help, I say we give them a shot.”

While many have joked that Punk is gunning for Michael's job, suggesting that he would like to run NXT in the future as an on-screen authority figure and backstage booker, it sure sounds like HBK isn't worried by the prospects of the “Best in the World” turning his weekly show into Collision: Orlando. Part of that is probably because his best friend is the current CCO of the company, but it also likely comes down to the fact that at this stage of his career, Michaels is all about teaching, as even at 45 years old, Punk has plenty of room to grow too.