CM Punk‘s next feud, once he finally puts his issues with Seth Rollins to bed, could come against one of WWE’s most underused heels. The Best in the World has been urged to wrap up his long-running rivalry with the World Heavyweight Champion.
CM Punk Put On Notice By WWE RAW Star
The 46-year-old has been feuding with Rollins for over a year, in fact, pretty much since he returned to WWE at Survivor Series in November 2023. The pair have locked horns on several occasions and will wage war at Wrestlepalooza next Saturday (September 20).
CM Punk teams up with his real-life wife, the returning AJ Lee, to face RAW’s world champion and his other half, Becky Lynch, in a mixed tag team match. It’s a hugely significant moment for the Second City Saint that truly puts an end to the issues that ensued for him and his partner at the end of their previous WWE stints.
The former five-time WWE World Champion may have the world title in his sights after holding the gold for five minutes at SummerSlam until Rollins pulled off ‘the Ruse of the Century’. He has been at the top of his game in the ring but also on the microphone, rolling back the years with iconic promos such as putting ‘bald fraud’ The Rock on blast earlier this year.
Many of the current generation have taken inspiration from Punk’s cut-throat promo work, including Grayson Waller. The Australian isn’t afraid to speak his mind, whether that’s to mock the fans or his opponents.
Waller has opened up on his admiration of the Voice of the Voiceless, but explained how he is eager to drag him out of the Rollins feud and fight him. He told No-Contest Wrestling: “I wanna fight CM Punk. I wanna fight CM Punk so bad. I wanna have the microphone next to CM Punk. He’s just spending too much time with Seth Rollins, we’ve gotta try and drag him out of that and those two have gotta stop fighting, and I wanna see what Punk’s really about.”
The 35-year-old made the step-up to WWE’s main roster in May 2023 but has been forced to bide his time for opportunities. He is still part of a tag team with Austin Theory that has run its course and should have ended in the pair going their separate ways by now.
Waller proved in NXT that he can hold his own as a singles star, especially on the mic. He added: “That’s one of my dreams, because on the mic there’s no-one better. As someone who prides themself on their microphone ability, I wanna test myself against CM Punk. Because I know he’s not gonna hold back at all, he’s gonna say whatever he thinks, and that’s something that doesn’t really exist anymore.”
He added: “I’ve got a lot to say about CM Punk, but we’ll save that for the day that it needs to be said. I’ve been saving that for a long time.”
That last line brings back memories of Punk’s famous pipebomb he dropped when he said he had alot he wanted to get off his chest. Waller could tap into hypocrisy claims over the legendary WWE star now taking up opportunities from younger talent such as himself, should a feud indeed occur.
Have WWE Been Dropping The Ball With Grayson Waller?
CM Punk’s well-documented troubles in the latter stages of his first spell with WWE stemmed from his growing disillusionment with life in the company. Real or not, he made clear his frustrations with his booking and presentation in comparison with top stars such as John Cena and The Rock during the pipebomb promo.
While Grayson Waller isn’t at Punk’s level at the time of that promo, he definitely warrants more TV time. He has shades of The Miz from a character perspective while performing extremely well in the ring with a unique moveset that fans often applaud.
It felt as though he was headed for a significant push shortly after debuting on the main roster, especially after impressing Edge in one of the WWE Hall of Famer’s final matches in the promotion. Adam Copeland, now of AEW, even hailed Waller for “swimming rather than sinking” but the higher-ups have since failed to capitalize on the obvious talent before them.
Waller just needs to break free of the tag division and be handed free rein to showcase his villainous characteristics as a singles star in the midcard. He has all the ingredients to be a success, including his own talk show, but WWE need to put more faith in him to go solo.
