WWE Hall Of Famer JBL Assesses CM Punk's Journey

CM Punk's first reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion was a result of him cashing in his Money In The Bank contract in June 2008. Punk was tested right away with some hard-hitting opponents, including John "Bradshaw" Layfield. The latter challenged Punk at that year's SummerSlam in what has become a forgotten feud. JBL recently joined "WWE's The Bump"" to discuss the rivalry, and he praised CM Punk for the heights he has reached in his career. 

"I got to wrestle him a lot when he came in, a lot for the Universal Championship or whichever championship it was, and I end up with him many times. First time at Madison Square Garden, his first-time main eventing Madison Square Garden. I liked him then, I like him now, and I'm glad he's back. I'm proud of his journey, I thought his journey was awesome," the WWE Hall of Famer said.

JBL said that he saw Punk last year in Las Vegas along with Ron Simmons before complimenting him for attempting MMA, referring to Punk's two-fight run in the UFC. John applauded Punk for being able to leave what he was the best in the world at and go do something completely different with the effort he put in.

The former WWE Champion continued to speak favorably about Punk's astounding return to WWE. "Then to come back, and the crowd's going crazy; I hate that he got hurt right when he comes back. But I've always liked CM Punk and I think he's deserving of everything that he's done; he's worked his butt off for a lot of things."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Bump" with a H/T to Wrestle Inc. for the transcription.