“He Helped Me Out When He Didn’t Need To”- Former WWE Champion Pays Homage to CM Punk

WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston recently spoke about his relationship with CM Punk. The two had entered into pro-wrestling at around the same time and broke out as Superstars in the WWE together. Kofi recently opened up about how Punk helped him out during the earliest days of his career.

“Punk is one of the guys in the industry who I consider to be my brother. He helped me out when he didn’t need to help me out.”

Kingston praised Punk, as he deviated from the cutthroat attitude that most performers in his position usually had. “People were more about keeping other people down and their spots being taken,” Kingston said.

Punk notably gave Kington some words of encouragement right before his debut in the WWE. 

CM Punk as a mentor

“I’m about to go out for my debut and I’m doing push-ups. I see a set of wrestling shoes, I look up, and there’s Punk. He goes, ‘Just remember, they’re out here to see you.’ That eased my nerves going out there.” This exchange admittedly affected Kingston and made it easier for him to go out and perform. 

Kofi, in the interview, appreciates Punk’s sincerity and his concern for those who were not as established as him. “He didn’t have to say that to me,” Kofi stated. 

Punk and Kingston both became tag team champions for a couple of months. This put them firmly in the top tier of performers in the WWE. However, they lost their title to The Miz and John Morrison shortly after. 

Punk also made Kofi realize that wrestlers faced issues everywhere, be it in the mid-card, or at the top. “At the time, he was Champion and a lot of gripes that you have on the undercard, sometimes you have at the top. I’m like, ‘He’s going through a lot of the same stuff that I’m going through.” Kingston states in the interview that Punk helped him grow into being a better wrestler and performer overall, showing why he saw him as a brother in the WWE.

“Fast forward to being WWE Champion, I was already prepared to go through whatever it is that I needed to go through and fight.”

Kofi Kingston has had multiple stints with the Tag Team and InterContinental Championship and has carved out a successful career in the WWE since.