CM Punk: Lexis King Is Viewed More Like Me Back In The Day

CM Punk compares how Lexis King is received in 2026 to how he was received when he was in WWE developmental.

Much like Punk, Lexis King would make the jump from AEW to WWE, but for King, he would enter WWE’s developmental brand, WWE NXT, where he has been a staple of NXT television since he signed with the company. For CM Punk, he is reminded of his own time in WWE developmental when he sees King wrestle for NXT.

While speaking to Complex News in a new interview, CM Punk says that King is viewed like he was when he was back in WWE developmental, noting that he may be viewed very differently by the time he retires from professional wrestling.

“I think a guy like Lexis King is more like- is viewed more like me back in the day where like, they look at him and like, they’re like, ‘oh, okay. I don’t know if I get it.’ So he has to work that much harder, and he’s really open to ideas. His mind is not closed. Like he’s one of the, he’s one of the guys that I think will shock a lot of people when it’s all said and done, you know, when it’s time to hang up the boots, they can look back at his career and think like, this is a guy who maybe I didn’t think much of when I first saw, he put the work in, he busts his ass and he became really, really good.”

Elsewhere in the same interview, Punk spoke about what The Undertaker told him prior to WrestleMania 41. You can read more about that here.

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