NXTNA is in full effect. This past Tuesday, TNA stars Frankie Kazarian and Joe Hendry competed in a battle royal to determine the No.1 Contender to NXT Champion Trick Williams on WWE NXT. This furthered the working relationship between WWE and TNA, as weeks prior TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace popped up to challenge NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez for her title at NXT Battleground. Grace was then challenged by NXT’s Tatum Paxley just days later at TNA Against All Odds. While it is unclear as to how far these crossovers will go, both companies have high-profile talent that are actively pushing for this partnership to flourish.
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One of those big names is CM Punk. Prior to returning to WWE in November 2023, Punk stopped by Bound For Glory, hanging backstage at the Impact Wrestling event before the company rebranded back to TNA.
Speaking to ComicBook, CM Punk’s longtime friend and trainer Ace Steel, who currently works as a TNA producer and on-screen manager, recalled Punk’s backstage visit to TNA last year.
“So many people approached him and asked him for advice. He was just watching the show from behind the curtain. He goes, ‘This stuff is great. This show is great. What’s missing?’” Steel shared. “I go, ‘We need more eyes on this thing.’ When you look at The Rascals, ABC, Santana, Steve Maclin, The System, Moose, Xia Brookside, Jordynne Grace, who we’ve all gotten to see more of lately. What a phenomenal opportunity Things like that just shows you that and especially at the height of the way this industry is right now, anything can happen.”
Steel sees parallels in Punk’s brief experience with the TNA locker room and how the WWE NXT crowd interacts with the Second City Saint.
“He always wants to give back and pay it forward. Going back to a young hungry locker room is what he loves. When he goes to NXT, it’s been reported over and over how much they love having him there,” Steel continued. “When he is down here in Orlando, I know that’s where his focus is. We hang out, have dinner, and then I know where he’s going because he loves mentoring the kids. He loves being able to help.”
While it remains to be seen as to if Punk will have any on-screen involvement with the WWE and TNA crossovers, Steel shared that he and Punk have “for sure” talked about what is happening. It was not specified if Steel and Punk have discussed future ideas or if they have just expressed enthusiasm about what has already gone down.
