WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show on Thursday and was asked about the C.M. Punk situation. "The word on the street was it was real," Austin said. "But see I was back in a place when I walked away from the company. I didn't like what they had to tell me. I took my ball and went home as they spun it.

"So C.M., I think he was backed against the corner, got a little frustrated, and he took his ball and went home. I think one of two things will happen. I think Vince will fly down there to Chicago or wherever he is and work some Jedi mind tricks and convince him to come back or maybe he will think through the process and he's got a lot of years left in the tank and never leave money on the table when you can go ahead and make that money. It don't matter what happens, they keep sending little gimmicks in the mail and they're called bills and you must pay your bills...

"I consider Punk a very good friend and I know he probably really is going through a lot of stress and I wish him well. I think it is the real deal, but I would like to think he will come back, but he is a pretty hardheaded young man so we will see what happens. Bad timing because you've got WrestleMania 30 going down in the Superdome so that's going to be a good payday and a good ride to make." View the interview at ArsenioHall.com

Powell's POV: The fact that Hall knew to ask about the situation will set off some alarms with fans who suspect that the entire situation has been a work from the start. However, Hall or more likely his people may have been aware of the story or discovered it online while doing research for Austin's appearance. Austin seemed sincere enough to me and I've heard from enough people who say it's legit, though of course any real life situation like this one can be turned into storyline fodder at some point. Austin also worked in plugs for his PodcastOne show, as well as the WWE Network. He also had some fun on the show, including an intervention for Justin Bieber.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: