CM Punk’s future is yet to be determined, but NWA owner Billy Corgan wants the star to think about having fun.
After Tony Khan announced that CM Punk and AEW had parted ways, speculation immediately began about Punk’s potential future in professional wrestling. While early reports indicated it was a “safe bet” that he might make a long-awaited return to WWE at Survivor Series in Chicago, later reports indicated that WWE turned down Punk’s offer to return and that the two sides are not currently in talks.
Speaking to Andrew Zarian on a recent edition of Mat Men, NWA owner Billy Corgan was asked about his potential interest in bringing Punk to his promotion. Corgan admitted that he hasn’t officially reached out to Punk as he knows he doesn’t have the money to pay the star what he’s worth, but he floated the idea of Punk working with NWA if he wants to have fun in his wrestling return.
“Many people behind the scenes have asked me, ‘should we make a play for Punk? Have you reached out to Punk?’ The answer, in terms of reaching out, is no. I respect him a lot. He deserves top money. He’s a top star. That sounds almost self-defeating, ‘you’re almost admitting that you wouldn’t want him.’ No, trust me, the NWA would go hand over fist to have Phil walk through the door and be part of the NWA, even for a pay-per-view.
“What I would say to Phil, and I’m not trying to use this as an open forum, I’m saying to you what I would say to Phil, and again, I have not reached out and I certainly know how to get in touch with him. What I could say to him is, he would have a lot of fun in the NWA. I think Phil, the person, loves professional wrestling.”
Continuing, Corgan cited his previous experience and said that he understands where CM Punk is coming from when it comes to hard confrontations.
“He’s had his public confrontation….I’m very similar, I got sued by a record company for $150 million. I eventually made a deal with them and continued working for them. I’ve had massive battles behind the scenes with every segment of the record and touring business, some of which aren’t public. I have a reputation in rock n roll, behind the scenes. If Phil, the person has a rep with whoever, he doesn’t have that rep with me because I feel I understand where he’s coming from.”
“That Man Loves Professional Wrestling” – Billy Corgan On CM Punk
Billy Corgan made it clear that while he isn’t able to pay the salary Punk is used to, he would love for the star to have some fun doing what he loves.
“That man loves professional wrestling. He may not love the professional wrestling business, but he loves professional wrestling. My only appeal to Punk would be, if you want to have some fun, I can’t pay you what you’re worth, but if you want to have some fun, come have some fun in the NWA. We’ll kick some ass, we’ll have some laughs, and I’ll buy you a vegan sandwich.”
Corgan believes that CM Punk belongs in professional wrestling and should be treated like a star, but maybe some time away from the limelight would help him rejuvenate his love for the business once again.
“Punk belongs in this business, he’s a star, he needs to be treated like a star. I don’t think anybody deserves to be treated like a primadonna, including myself, but there has to be a way to balance those forces where the guy who loves professional wrestling can do what he loves to do, even if it’s behind the scenes. Maybe he doesn’t work in front of the camera for a while.”
CM Punk also recently turned heads when he visited backstage during an IMPACT Wrestling taping.
h/t Fightful