Kevin Nash made headlines at the end of 2025 and the beginning of this year for some of his hot takes on CM Punk.
At the time, the WWE Hall of Famer’s major issue with Punk was that he didn’t feel the Chicago superstar spent enough time working out. Now, however, he’s admitted that Punk “looks good” in recent images fans have posted on social media.
Nash’s public criticism of Punk began in December, when he commented on the then-WWE World Heavyweight Champion’s physical appearance.
“I watched Punk in
the main event of that match last Monday… Number one: if you’re the Heavyweight Champion of the WWE and you wrestle in a T-shirt — ouch,” Nash said at the time on his Kliq This podcast.
Days later, Punk had a lighthearted moment during a house show match against Bronson Reed. Moments into the match, Punk removed his shirt only to reveal he was wearing another sleeveless tee underneath. Though Punk later denied trolling Nash — instead saying he was just trying to pop Reed — the nWo legend nevertheless weighed in on the stunt.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just go to the gym?” Nash said on Kliq This about the house show stunt.
It should be noted that Nash continued to praise Punk’s mic skills even when he was taking digs at his physique. He also anticipated that The Second City Saint would hit the gym hard to look good for his WrestleMania 42 match against Roman Reigns.
While Punk noticeably appeared more muscular going into the showdown against Reigns, he’s gotten even more attention for his physique after the match. Social media users have posted images and videos of Punk in gyms looking jacked, so much so that it’s led to unsubstantiated rumors of steroid use, though many others have pushed back on such talk about The Straight Edge Superstar.
Nash is among those who’s noticed the difference. After first touching on Punk’s absence on the June 15th episode of Kliq This, Nash spoke about the changes he’s observed.
“He’s not the first one to take downtime,” Nash said before pivoting. “There are pictures of Punk online, in the gym and stuff, and people taking pictures of Punk online. He looks good.”
He continued: “He got with that trainer for WrestleMania, and I think he’s dialed in his training. What everybody finds out is that we so undereat. I guarantee you Phil [Brooks, CM Punk’s real name] was under-eating, probably by 1,000 calories. I’ve been home and been able to eat and even though I’ve only put on four pounds, being able to eat and being able to train is huge.
“He’s making bank, so he can take some time off.”
What do you think of Nash’s assessment? Let us know in the comments.
