Jim Ross Says He Wishes AEW Had Kept CM Punk, Backs Heel Turn in WWE

Jim Ross isn’t shy about where he stands on CM Punk — and that includes wishing AEW had never lost him in the first place.

The WWE Hall of Famer and veteran announcer opened up on his Grilling JR podcast about Punk’s current run atop WWE as champion, offering a candid assessment of what makes the polarizing star tick. For Ross, the key is keeping Punk visible and central to programming — alignment be damned.

“I prefer his work with him having an edge,” Ross said. “If the edge is ascribed to the level that he is not liked, he’s going to be a heel, then so be it. I don’t have a problem with that.”

Ross made clear that whether Punk plays hero or villain matters far less than whether he’s consistently featured. Calling Punk a reliable performer who connects with audiences in any role, Ross said his value to a roster is essentially unconditional.

“As long as Punk is featured, then I’m happy, as long as he doesn’t disappear off the face of the wrestling earth,” Ross said. “He’s valuable talent. He can be a great heel or a great babyface, and he’s another guy that’s in our reliable category.”

Ross also turned reflective about Punk’s time in AEW, a run that ended in controversy. Even with all the turbulence that surrounded that chapter, the longtime commentator said the promotion lost something genuinely hard to replace when Punk departed.

“I wish we still had him at AEW,” Ross admitted. “He made things lively around that place. He kept it interesting.”

It’s a sentiment that cuts to the core of Punk’s complicated legacy — a performer capable of elevating everything around him, for better or worse, wherever he lands. With WWE now reaping those benefits, Ross seems content watching from a distance, so long as Punk stays on television.