CM Punk Talks WWE Partnership With ESPN, Says Both Are 'Synonymous With Excellence'

Last year, WWE secured a massive deal with Netflix for the streaming rights of "Monday Night RAW," however, recently the promotion somehow upstaged that by securing another deal with ESPN for the rights to their Premium Live Events as well as announcing a new show. In a recent interview on ESPN's "First Take" show, CM Punk shared his thoughts about the deal and why it's so impactful for the promotion.

When asked about the upcoming Wrestlepalooza PLE that's being launched alongside the streaming deal, Punk claimed that he's really excited about it and maintained that WWE still has a good relationship with Peacock, regardless of the new deal with ESPN. "Anytime, I think, you can rub elbows and...be on the same platform with ESPN, Netflix, stuff like that? Those are just giant household, you know, synonymous brand names; synonymous with excellence, like CM Punk, like WWE."

While Punk still holds himself in high regard, the veteran, interestingly, once claimed that his SummerSlam opponent Gunther is who he considers as the future of the pro wrestling industry as a heel. Additionally, Punk also holds Bron Breakker, Chad Gable, and Damien Priest in high regard and claimed that he still wants to go up against all of them at some point. While it remains to be seen if he'll face any of the other names on his list, the "Second City Saint" still has a focus on the future of WWE and not just his own place in the promotion.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit ESPN's "First Take" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.