CM Punk has been in the professional wrestling game on-and-off for nearly 30 years, and despite previous controversies in AEW locker rooms and backstage in WWE that led to his first departure, has seemingly settled into where he belongs in Paul "Triple H" Levesque's version of the company. Speaking on an episode of "Nightcap" with Shannon Sharpe and Chad "Ochocino" Johnson, Punk said that wrestling has been "everything and more" for him, plus even more hard work."You gotta be prepared to run through a wall on a daily basis," he explained. "You're not going to sleep, and you're going to fly to another country and then you're going to hit the ground running and do media, and then you're wrestling. Then you're on a bus. Everything about it is difficult, but to me, it just makes it that much more worth it."Punk returned to WWE in his hometown of Chicago at Survivor Series 2023, following a 10-year hiatus from the company. The 47-year-old said that those backstage keep him motivated to keep going on the road when things get as difficult as he described."I find myself in a position where probably more than half the men and women on the crew on a daily basis say, 'Hey. We grew up watching you,'" Punk said. "To me, as corny as that sounds, maybe, I feel I have a responsibility to kind of, not tell them what to do, but to show them. And I'm not always right, and some people don't like me. I got a big mouth. But to lead by example, that's something that motivates me."If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Night Cap" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
