CM Punk Talks WWE Wanting To Sign Talent Like Him, Says WWE Should Have Listened To Him

Severe MMA has highlights from CM Punk's media scrum before last week's UFC 189 event in Las Vegas. During the scrum, Punk was asked about his time in ROH.

"I think that those years [in ROH] were pretty pivotal," Punk said. "[Samoa] Joe went to TNA. I went to WWE and we both took gambles. We had built up ROH to be a place where guys can go, and not just work but learn and get better. A lot of guys had been around the horn working for all these indys, and it eventually gets a little tedious when you see the same guys, like nobody is getting any better. We had this core group of people, and we turned Ring of Honor into something that we're all super, super proud of.

"I think it's funny now when you look at the pro wrestling landscape, like all the guys that they're hiring, all the guys that they're putting on television,I can honestly say that I don't know if that happens if a guy like me and a guy like Samoa Joe don't take a chance. Everyone is talented in their own right, but everything that I was made fun of and vilified for by management, is now what they're looking for in guys. I wear that as a badge of honor. It's a big I f–king told you so. I mean, you should have listened to me in 2005."

As for if WWE will push guys like Samoa Joe to the top, Punk believes that they should.

"I hope so," Punk replied when asked if WWE would get behind Samoa Joe. "They should. I mean, he deserves it more than anybody. I sit back and I laugh. I mean, good for all of these guys. I hope they make millions of dollars [so that] they can support their kids and live how they want to live. I'm not taking credit for their success, they would have made it eventually somewhere somehow. I just think it's funny that the machine that never wanted me now wants [talent like] me."

Punk also talked about being burned out in WWE, and noted that he "peaced out" when he realized that he wasn't going to get what he wanted.

"I believed I was the best guy there," Punk said. "Because it is a fake or predetermined sport, I felt like I wasn't getting a fair shake. I had been there long enough and heard the same bullsh-t to know that I wasn't ever going to get what I wanted so I peaced out, what are you going to do?"

Source: Severe MMA

tjd contributed to this article.