CM Punk Says He Never Claimed To Be A Leader

CM Punk’s return to WWE has gone better than most may have initially suspected - injury aside - with the multi-time world champion seemingly enjoying being back in the company as an elder statesman in the locker room.

Much of Punk’s issues in the past in WWE and All Elite Wrestling have seemingly stemmed from issues of respect in the locker room, an issue on-screen rival Drew McIntyre alluded to by claiming that Punk was ‘no leader’ in the back. Punk himself has addressed McIntyre’s comments during a conversation with ESPN’s First Take, saying the following:

"I never claimed to be one. I'm just trying to do my job. I'm just trying to wrestle. I'm very polarising for some odd reason,” said Punk, before adding "I tend to say how I feel, to a fault. I stand up for myself. A lot of people don't like that. There is always friction. I will be as polite and as kind to anybody as I possibly can. When they step out of line, I'm kind of the guy that checks them."

Earlier stories from Punk’s first run in WWE suggested that Punk referred to himself as a locker-room leader, a move which didn’t particularly go down well with some of WWE’s veterans at the time such as Booker T.

H/T: Fightful