Rob Van Dam recently looked back at CM Punk’s early WWE run and revealed how Paul Heyman backed the future world champion during a backstage issue with Test. The Hall of Famer also admitted the situation showed him how highly Heyman thought of Punk.
RVD recalled a UK tour where Test wanted CM Punk to pass messages to Kelly Kelly following their breakup. However, Punk refused to do it, which reportedly upset Test.
Paul Heyman backed CM Punk during his issue with Test
Speaking on 1 Of A Kind with RVD, he said, “According to Paul, Test called him and said about CM Punk. He said, ‘What the fu*k? Why? How come he’s not giving her? I keep telling him to tell her to fu*king call me, and he doesn’t fu*king tell her.’ And he goes, ‘What the fu*k? Does he think? I won’t smack him?’ And Paul said, ‘Oh, my money’s on the tattoo kid.'”
RVD added, “I was just surprised because I didn’t know CM Punk at all. I was just learning on the spot how much Paul really liked him. And when he said that, I was like, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘My money’s on the tattoo kid,’ and just, you know, repeated it.”
“And I think he might have told me that he did say it to Tess, and that Tess was like, ‘What, are you supposed to be a tough guy or something?’ That opened up my eyes just to look at Phil.”
RVD reveals why he thought CM Punk was replacing him in WWE
The WWE Hall of Famer also reflected on the final days of ECW, admitting many original ECW stars struggled with WWE’s creative direction. He said, “I think all of us ECW guys were a little butt hurt that they were kicking us out and bringing in the new breed. So there were some personal feelings about what was going on during that match.”
RVD also questioned his own future in the company, saying, “Part of me was like, ‘So, what? He’s replacing me or what? You know, what the fu*k is going on here?’ And, I didn’t really get my answer because I was just leaving anyway. That was all part of my frustration that led to me leaving, was feeling underappreciated.”
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