Booker T on CM Punk Fight Rumors: 'I Have No Ill Will Toward' Injured WWE Superstar

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T downplayed any potential issues between himself and CM Punk on his podcast this week.

Speaking Tuesday on his Hall of Fame podcast (h/t Ishaan Rathi of Ringside News), Booker attempted to put any speculation about bad blood with Punk to bed, and he insisted that there won't be a physical altercation between them:

"You know what? I don't know why people want me to have—I saw somebody said, 'I just want to see you and CM Punk have a fight.' Look, me and CM Punk, we won't be having a fight, OK? I want to let everybody know out there, I have no ill will toward CM Punk."

Booker's latest comments came on the heels of something he said last week on his podcast (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) regarding almost having a confrontation with Punk backstage at NXT.

"I almost had a little run-in with CM Punk," Booker said. "The internet might want to pick that up. Me and CM Punk almost got into it at NXT this week."

On a subsequent edition of the Hall of Fame podcast (h/t Rathi), Booker clarified his remarks and suggested he was amplifying what actually happened for the sake of entertaining his fans:

"If you hear me say anything here on the Hall of Fame, this show, is show-related. I'm trying to entertain my fans. I'm trying to entertain the fans just watching this, trying to give you guys a moment when you ain't gotta think about that kind of stuff, all right? So if you hear me say something about CM Punk, Corey Graves, Michael Cole, [co-host] Brad [Gilmore]. ...

"Don't jump into the internet mess. So let's just get that out there right now. Because that story, that 40-second story that people wrote, it was clickbait, guys. That's what it was more than anything. Did I put it out there? Did I say it? As far as I had a beef, I was gonna run up? Yeah, I said [it], but I'm entertaining you guys. Entertaining. Just playing around."

Booker hasn't spoken glowingly about Punk over the years, and shortly after Punk's release from AEW and return to WWE during the fall, he questioned on his podcast (h/t Tathya Sachdev of WrestlingHeadlines.com) if it would be worth it for WWE to sign him:

"At this point in time right now when everything is going so great. Not just from an in-ring perspective, but an out-of-ring perspective as well, as far as the company is doing great. What does CM Punk add to WWE right now at this point? What does CM Punk add to WWE? Now, let's look at it from this perspective right here. If CM Punk worked this contract in AEW and it was coming up, and Punk didn't sign with AEW and WWE actually got in and got him and boom! I think we would have something. But CM Punk didn't just leave WWE; he got fired from WWE. He didn't just leave AEW; he got fired with cause from AEW. What value does a person like that bring to your company?

"I mean, I'm just being honest here. You tell me. People [say], 'Well, you got a lot of people that's going to love it. He's got a lot of fans that are going to love it.' Yeah, he's got a lot of fans, but those fans actually mean nothing when it comes to the big picture. Because the fans that love him didn't bump the ratings that much on AEW, where it was that much more significant than it was before he actually got there."

Despite Booker's take, WWE did in fact sign Punk, and he made his surprise return to the promotion in his hometown of Chicago at Survivor Series in November.

Punk was instantly the talk of the wrestling world and was being positioned for a huge match at WrestleMania 40, but a torn triceps suffered a Royal Rumble will render him unable to compete on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Even while injured, Punk has remained fairly hands-on in WWE, showing up regularly to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, which suggests he is committed to using his talent and experience to make WWE better as a whole.

Booker and Punk may not necessarily have a friendly relationship, but it sounds as though Booker is looking to move on from the Punk-related drama he had a hand in drumming up last week.

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