Scott D'Amore Courted CM Punk For TNA, Had First Challenger Picked Out

After his AEW exit, CM Punk was close to joining TNA Wrestling, according to Steve Maclin.

Maclin was recently interviewed on "The PWI Podcast," alongside his wife and AEW star Deonna Purrazzo. Purrazzo named a mixed tag team match against WWE's AJ Lee and CM Punk as one that she would love to be involved in, which prompted Maclin to reveal details about Punk almost signing with TNA Wrestling before he returned to WWE.

"If you want some behind-the-scenes dirt that nobody knows about, CM Punk, before he [joined WWE] almost possibly signed with TNA. He was coming in and I was going to be his first challenger, which I found out right as Scott D'Amore was getting let or was let go. We were having dinner one night and he let me know, 'Yeah, Punk was gonna almost sign there and then you were gonna be his first challenger. [I was like] 'Sh*t, that would've been cool, man,'" said Maclin. 

Former TNA executive Scott D'Amore had revealed that he made offers for both CM Punk and Will Ospreay, but neither signed with the promotion, with Punk joining WWE and Ospreay heading to AEW. Maclin, in the interview, spoke highly of Punk and the star power he continues to hold, describing him as one of the few true "superstars" in pro wrestling.

"You see his time from coming back into wrestling, what happened at AEW and to even WWE, it just shows the star that he is now and that he's always kind of been that way and that he just that culture. He's literally a cult of personality, if you want to play the cliche to the song. He just shows the magnitude, that he's like one of the last alive superstars," he added.

Maclin revealed that Punk popped up a few times backstage in TNA, and recalled how Punk treated him when he worked as an extra in WWE, stating that he was respectful towards him.