Video: WWE's CM Punk Names Stone Cold, Eddie Guerrero and His Top 5 Wrestlers Ever

Ahead of his highly anticipated match against Drew McIntyre at WWE SummerSlam on Saturday, CM Punk appeared Tuesday on ESPN's First Take and gave some insight into his preferences as a wrestling fan.

When asked by First Take panelist and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky to name his five favorite wrestlers of all time, Punk chose "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Eddie Guerrero, Harley Race, Terry Funk and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Given that Punk was born in 1978, it came as little surprise that his list was heavily weighted toward wrestlers who were among the biggest stars of the 1980s and 1990s.

Punk initially had Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat on his list, but when asked how he first got into wrestling, he realized that he had omitted Piper.

The 45-year-old veteran credited Piper with making him a wrestling fan, citing his trash-talking ability and the fact that he was able to excel despite not being among the biggest or strongest wrestlers of his time.

Perhaps the most intriguing member of Punk's list was Austin since Punk vs. Austin is considered an all-time dream match by many wrestling fans and one that could technically still happen.

Back in 2012, WWE held a sit-down interview involving Punk and Austin with Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross as the moderator in anticipation of the release of the WWE '13 video game.

Punk and Austin worked an angle with each other, which got fans excited about the possibility of them wrestling each other, however, Punk departed WWE in January 2014, and it never came to fruition.

It seemed as though Austin would stay retired for good after having his final match at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, but two years ago at WrestleMania 38, he shocked the wrestling world by returning to face Kevin Owens.

Then, Punk returned to WWE in November 2023 following his departure from AEW, which made a match against Austin a possibility again.

In an interview with ESPN's Marc Raimondi in February, Austin didn't rule out a match against Punk, saying: "I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me—so, as long as he can take a [Stone Cold] Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great wrestler who's had a great career. We'll see."

For now, Punk's focus is on McIntyre, who has been his chief rival ever since Punk suffered a torn triceps in the men's Royal Rumble match back in January.

After McIntyre reveled in Punk's misfortune, Punk cost him the World Heavyweight Championship multiple times, leading to their grudge match at SummerSlam with Seth Rollins serving as special guest referee.

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