NWA Champ EC3 Reacts To CM Punk Being Back With WWE

CM Punk's return to WWE has been one of the most talked-about stories in modern wrestling history, with the controversial multi-time world champion now fully on his path to the Royal Rumble and potentially main-eventing WrestleMania for the first time. After a rollercoaster ride in AEW that resulted in Punk being fired for a backstage incident last August, the 45-year-old is now entrenched in the WWE system once again, heading into their busiest period of the year. 

While many assumed Punk's relationship with the company was irreparable, former WWE superstar and current NWA champion EC3 explained on a recent episode of "Insight" why he believes the Chicago native is in a better position to succeed this time around. 

"I would have expected that, especially with the way it ended [in AEW]. A guy like that isn't gonna go silently into the night — he will get the last 'f*** you' any way he can," he said. "He did have to go away if he ever wanted to main event a WrestleMania, and that very well could happen. I think too, with Vince [McMahon] not as hands on, there was a lot of butting heads ... I think Vince had an interpretation of him and Phil has an interpretation of himself that didn't align. I think [Paul Levesque] is way easier to collaborate with.

"I think there will be a compromise where everybody wins and it will probably be really good business," EC3 concluded.

Despite publicly disparaging the promotion during his time away on numerous occasions, Punk appears to be on the straight and narrow under the guidance of Levesque, with an abundance of high-profile feuds and matches on the horizon for the straight edge superstar.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Insight" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.