Steve Austin Says He Regularly Texts CM Punk; Lavishes Praise On Him

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was recently in conversation with Alfred Konuwa of Forbes, where he touched on a ton of topics, including his relationship with CM Punk, WWE’s sale to Endeavor and the UFC merger, the Broken Skull Challenge, modern wrestling compared to the Attitude Era, remembering “Superstar” Billy Graham, and more.

CM Punk has often been likened to Steve Austin, and during the conversation, Konuwa acknowledged Austin’s positive relationship with Punk, also implying how the “Cult of Personality” has learned a lot from the WWE Hall of Famer. He also brought up the recent controversies surrounding Punk and asked for Austin’s perspective on the current situation.

The Texas Rattlesnake did not shy away from heaping praise on Punk, noting how they share a great friendship and dismissing the notion that he has been somewhat of a mentor to the former AEW World Champion, instead highlighting how Punk has stepped up so much more than that. He said,

“Man, I just sent Punk a message last night. I didn’t know he had torn his triceps. I haven’t been following anything. I don’t know what’s going on with that. Me and Phil trade messages every here and there. We rarely talk, probably once or twice a year. I love the guy, and I don’t even know if I mentored him because Punk’s probably a lot smarter than I am. Great promo guy, great worker, he’s got his own thing going and we’re just friends. So, I think I remember there’s a picture of myself and him from Chicago, my favorite town to work in, my favorite building. And I guess he had come down to where we were all hanging out. Maybe he looked up to me back in the day, but I don’t know if I so much mentored him because I think he paid his own dues. He learned it the way he did, and he got over on his own merits. The fact that maybe I could have been somewhat of an influence would be flattering if that were the case. But he’s made his own career.”

However, Austin stated that he is unaware of the ongoing situation with CM Punk. He said,

“But I don’t even know what’s going on with the current situation or what they’re doing because right now I rarely watch any of the product. I watch all the pay-per-views and major pay-per-views, but he’s certainly carved out a hellacious career in his own right by his own right.”

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