Kevin Nash Critiques CM Punk's Performance Against Dominik Mysterio At WWE MSG Event

CM Punk now has two WWE matches under his belt, having defeated Dominik Mysterio in a pair of untelevised live matches at the end of 2023. Thanks to the innovation of video recording smart phones and social media, many have been able to watch Punk's antics with Mysterio and his manager Rhea Ripley, and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash is not that impressed with Punk's return to WWE.

"[The match] kinda had like a Japanese feel to it. It started and stopped," Nash said on "Kliq This" of Punk's December 26 match against Mysterio in Madison Square Garden. The WWE Hall of Famer isn't sure how much of the format of WWE matches, especially Live Event matches, is laid out in advance but assumes that there were some planned spots for Ripley. "I just didn't see like a real heat spot and then a heat set. Three minutes of [Punk] getting his ass beat, where he had a reason to get the people to come...There wasn't any heat."

Nash believes that Punk isn't quite young enough to wrestle at the pace he used to and also was heavier than Nash had previously seen him, leading Nash to think that Punk's conditioning simply isn't up to the standard that it probably should be for a WWE attraction. But Nash isn't ready to write off Punk's return just like that.

"He definitely paid for himself," Nash said, admitting that Punk's addition to the cards moved serious tickets. "It's not like he's not going to get better every time he's out there."

Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Brian "Road Dogg" James recently had similar praise for Punk, lauding the way the former AEW World Champion made the Madison Square Garden Live Event on December 26th, the first WWE match Punk wrestled in nearly a decade, a bigger event.