I JUST HOPE...... they give Bryan the "Omega treatment" down the line. Meaning that Bryan should win all the titles that every promotion has like Omega, and would actually be a bigger draw. Since i am sure many other wrestling companies would want D Bryan as their champ.
I am not sure what Khan's plan is for D Bryan, but so far he is been put in the "background". And doesn't help he lost to Y2J recently.
I can only speak for myself but I know that I would much rather see Bryan doing basically anything in-ring or character-wise over what Punk has given us.
Punk's AEW run has been like what happened to Seth McFarlane after Family Guy got put back on the air. It gave a talented dude with a big ego the idea that he could not be wrong ever and that fans would love and support him no matter how much his attitude hurt the final product. Seth McFarlane seems to have changed course at least.
I would just like to say, I don’t think Bryan wants to do that honestly. He has a kid (or two I can’t remember) at home, a wife he loves spending time with, and it’s the major reason he even signed with AEW. He doesn’t have to be champion and have to go to all of the shows and be there 24/7, or go to other companies. I think he wants to be a “bridge” type of person, someone to put over the next generation. I could be way off, but based off how he talked with why he chose AEW over WWE, I think it’s a safe assumption.
I like this take. I don't feel the need to shit on him 'cause he's a wrassler and I an adult wrasslin' fan, so I mean... C'mon. But as someone who missed his WWE years and has only seen him in AEW, I don't get or like how he's become the focal point of the promotion, and is being booked like he's this serious badass who can outperform anyone when... he's a balding, often grumpy guy whose *every program* sees him and his opponent awkwardly shuffling between who is face and heel. (Every opponent he's had becomes a different character when they begin feuding, so abruptly it's silly even by wrasslin' standards).
I don't get why he is a wrestling god beyond shit that happened over a decade ago, that I never saw and couldn't care less about. I think it's silly to rage on the guy for making a buck, I mean he's a pro entertainer and not a politician playing with lives-- but I also think that having an untouchable with a major contract be so brazen about his vendettas against his coworkers and, arguably, against his supervisors is baaaaaaad for business.
I don't
His whole thing was pandering to people who read gossip sites and hated Vince McMahon and John Cena. He was a character in WWE for anti-fans of WWE, which was unique at the time. He was an unprofessional moody teenager being edgy when the rest of the company was professional adults being family friendly. That resonated big with a certain section of the audience, the ones who saw WWE as the heel.
But that dynamic doesn’t really exist or work in AEW, because the fanbase is so much smaller and they see the company as the babyface. He’s not a revolutionary battling a big evil corporation, he’s a toxic middle-aged man raging against the dying of the light.
yeah none of this angle makes sense, nothing in aew has the corporate heat vince carried and never will so I'm not sure why the internet is so invested. Self hatred and boredom i guess
FWIW, his look wasn’t much better in his WWE days. Was always soft looking, kind of out of shape, and unable to do his finisher to several of the heavyweights.
But I think I’m a little old school in that I’m not a fan of his promos, which often break the 4th of all in a way that ruins my suspension of disbelief. That may be an uncommon opinion, I’m not sure.
Yeah would it kill him to lift some weights? I could suspend my disbelief when he was young and he could take on the Batista types with his skill, craftiness and intelligence. But in his 40's... Wardlow would snap him in half.
And NO WAY is he 218 lbs. I'm basically his size and I'm 181.
His billed weight (like many pro wrestlers) is inflated for sure. I actually think Punk looks the best right now than he did when he debuted in AEW. His arms and shoulders look good but his legs and abs are still flabby. I mean good for him for not being on PED’s (presumably) but yeah… he’s well into his 40’s now and it ain’t gonna get any easier to maintain his physique.
I loved him as a kid. I remember watching the No Way Out PPV where he failed to beat Chavo Guerrero for the ECW title, only to win Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 24 and go on to become World Heavyweight Champion. It was a 3 month story that for a 10 year old felt like the most epic redemption arc. Today his promos are still fire and I'll call him a great on that front, but yeah his current wrestling is middle of the road and nostalgia is a big reason people love him. And there's nothing wrong with that imo. People give nostalgia a negative connotation but there's nothing wrong with wanting to feel like a little kid again sometimes
Punk was an indie darling in the early 00s, same as Daniel Bryan. But neither had the "look" WWE wanted, but could wrestle their hearts out. Like..... Punk is essentially a leaner Jeff Hardy which doesn't exactly scream "main event."
But Punk got called to OVW and developmental, then the ECW reboot happened and Punk was sorta positioned as this new guard.
In a business with insane politicking Punk by virtue of being a consistently good wrestler, got the WWE championship and had a great heel reign. If I recall correctly, the original booking for The Shield was to have them be Punk's enforcers, which would've been a HUGE angle, but The Shield got over enough on their own they became their own thing.
Then Punk got done dirty by WWE, which happens and has been off in the hinterlands for the better part of a decade. Coming back is a mixed bag, you already had this kinda interesting cemented counter culture legacy, and when he was commentating on the WWE sports show, could give just straight shoots on everything, which was kinda cool, and anytime anyone ran a show in Chicago there was always a "what if?" element.
But he's back, and well... it's not great? Punk was iconic in the early 00s... nowadays there's a whole generation of wrestlers that have innovated beyond that.
I dunno... it's like McDonald's bringing back the McRib. Nostalgia only lasts a little while.
This is the comment I was looking for.
Near the end of the John Cena era we were so hungry for a proper Superstar we all latched on to CM punk. Made him a superstar when he really wasn't cause he was just one of our best options at the time.
He go so far into his own head that it carried him into MMA and an embarrassment which should have buried him for good. But it didn't because he still had that fan base.
As far as why he maintained his fan base that's because of Roman reigns. If anything CM punk was the anti-Reins that other fans could get on board with. If we had a proper superstar that fans could gravitate to both Reigns and Punk would be top tier but not world champion material. Like a step above Seamus.
Need a proper superstar to remind us that these guys we hold at the top do not deserve to be there.. But that age is gone.
Absolutely. His rise in WWE was more of a respond to the product at the time than his talent, but being a narcissist, Phil thinks everything is about him. In a world where PWG exists and NJPW is accessible to everyone, Punk’s ceiling is about Sami Zayn level. I mean that as a compliment. His floor is probably around a Bobby Roode. I think he sees himself on a Roddy Piper or Bret Hart caliber, but what made them legends was consistency, which punk lacks.
You could build a long program around Bret because he was reliable and his character evolved over time. Everyone remembers his big moments but those moments were the result of his consistency.
I agree with most of your opinion, but I think he was deserving of superstar status when he was white hot with WWE. He’s a little undersized for what WWE likes, but I saw him as a modern day HBK. Problem is WWE never pushed him like they believed in him. Seemed like they got stuck with a guy that fans wanted but they couldn’t get behind. Wouldn’t even book him to headline a PPV as champ unless he was facing Cena. And his attitude kinda did him in. Played the victim card to death… in kayfabe and in real life apparently. Almost a modern day Warrior.
It really makes you appreciate people in society who are treated this way but DON'T act like Punk.
LeBron James for example. He's been treated like a king ever since he was in high school. Outside of your typical LeBron hater who will criticize him for flopping occasionally, by all accounts, he has a standout human being.
Imagine if LeBron gave a press conference like this, throwing his teammates under the bus, and then when he got back to the locker room, threw a punch at them and had his personal trainer start bashing people over the head with a chair.
Was just gonna say Lebron is a rough example. Dude is one of the goats in terms of performance on the court but he’s also a professional meddler and crybaby.
In fairness, LeBron has a whole apparatus of press and behind the scenes people to throw teammates under the bus. He doesn’t have to get his hands dirty to put people in the place he thinks they should be in.
I predict This dynamite there will be a large Colt Covana chant when Punk is in the ring. How punk responds to those chants will determine what role he will be moving forward
I think he might literally start assaulting fans or have some sort of fit and start like, slapping himself in his own face. He is SUCH a man-baby I don't know what else he'd do.
I was there, he was crazy over as usual. Of course MJF was going to get a huge reaction... Of course none of this matters anymore seeing as how Punk's gonna be gone
In terms of the online community, it’s absolutely the hottest thing since the Vegas “Pipebomb” promo.
How AEW is going to convert this to sales (especially for those who don’t care about backstage stuff) is beyond me, but it’s exciting.
Punk has been teasing heel for like 6+ months. Just going by the reaction on the internet, there is no way Punk doesn't come out Wednesday to a sea of boos.
Work or shoot time to turn him heel and let him be an entitled locker room tyrant on tv and then rake in cash when Kenny Omega beats the everloving snot out of him on ppv.
Even if all of his grievances WERE 100% true, he:
* Won the biggest belt in the company
* Broke his foot doing a stage dive
* The company tied itself in knots keeping the belt warm for him
* He won it back
* After elevating his old friend and trainer to an on-camera presence
* In his beloved hometown
And all he can think about in that moment is unleashing on people who wronged him in unrelated matters
If you rewatch the end of the PPV he looks really pissed off that MJF ruined his moment to celebrate. Then when the crowd chanted MJF he looked like he was going nuts inside.
Then he went to do a live media scrum...
Has Cabana even mentioned Brooks since the split happened? Real shitty behaviour of Brooks to mention buying Cabana's house and saying that he has a joint bank with his Mother if Cabana hasn't said anything about him in years.
Colt has never talked about his side of the story, and pretty until it was brought up recently, Punk never really addressed it outside of a couple of tweets a few years ago, which he didn't really expand on much other than calling Colt an backstabber. Punk generally ignores questions about it when asked at cons or events.
Because of how Punk has generally avoided talking about this, and that subtle pause he had after he mentioned Cabana's bank account, as if he knew he shouldn't have gone there, I feel like this is all being played up on purpose. I don't think this whole thing is a work, but I think there are advantageous minds at work here, taking advantage of real world tension.
It is also entirely possible Tony Khan is just trash at his job and can't keep things together. But if you look at everything since Punk arrived, how he acted the first 6 months compared to the last 6 months, reports that came out then compared to now, etc, there's a lot that just doesn't add up to just Punk going nuts out of nowhere.
this dude is mad at adam page for doing what punk did to john cena. you literally could have replaced punk with cena and page with punk, and that is exactly how punk acted. he didnt give a shit about wrestler court or taker or JBL but turns around and does the same thing. fuck this guy
What came first, Page talking about worker rights or Punk calling him out then calling him a coward for not coming out when Page wasn't even at the show?
Punk has handled the entire situation like the gigantic piece of shit that he is, but by all accounts I've seen, the start of entire thing lies squarely with Page.
I can't seem to figure out where all this talk of "if you have a problem my door is open" but when he has a problem he waits until he's on live TV to make a bigger deal out of it. At that point I'm not looking at Page for what he said but Punks overreaction
I love that his door is always open, but the second someone comes through it to confront him, assuming verbally, he throws hands at the drop of a hat, and his boy Ace goes completely off the chain and starts lobbing chairs at people.
He has never cared about the fans and has proven to be an ego maniac time and time again. He sat and complained until he could leach off the hard work of people who actually built something
He seems like a total asshole to me. He thinks he’s a tough guy badass but does all this because he got his feelings hurt by Hangman? He is also delusional about his contribution to AEW.
If only Danielson would have gotten out of his contract a few months earlier.
I know that's why I put the /s but on a real note it's pretty sad to this guy act like this again. I remember being like 12-13 years old when he made his WWE debut and I was a big fan right away. Then all of the drama unfolded but I thought it was just him working the business like a genius. Now to see this level of arrogance though. It's embarrassing for TK honestly. Im not even a big AEW fan but I respect the product so much because it forces WWE to stop being mediocre. Here comes Punk to tear it all down.
I feel like Tony really wants to finish the Punk/MJF story. Once that is done, I don't know what else he has planned, but hopefully MJF is greatly elevated and Punk can walk Larry off into the Chicago sunset.
I can see a story where Punk (and the others) are written out for a month, letting MJF and Stokely take over AEW. It would suck, but I think long-term they need to lay down some punishment.
He shouldn't have aired his dirty laundry in public, and some of the things he said were baseless and incredibly petty.
That being said there is no smoke without fire, and while he's known for not letting things go I don't think he's got a reputation as a liar or manipulator, so I think he genuinely came in with (and still does) have good intentions (for both his and AEW's business) that he believes are being intentionally undermined by the actions and attitudes of the EVPs and "AEW originals".
I think there needs to be a deeper analysis of why he went off like he did beyond "Punk is x" and "he wants to destroy AEW because y"
1 year ago, I thought he would be the hero that'll bring AEW to new heights and while his feuds with Kingston and MJF were great. I think its gotten to his head now. Quote the pipebombs all you want but AEW was not born nor revolves around Punk. AEW was born and lived through the pandemic without Punk but I don't think anyone will believe AEW would survive without The Elite. I once thought he was a great guy, an idol to look up to but man that scrum showed his pettiness and true colors, he's no savior if anything he's the one whose singlehandedly sinking the ship. (Work or no, this can't be good for the locker room morale. More so the image of AEW at the moment)
same. i thought aew was the perfect home for him. but man its disappointing. that doesnt make him king of the castle. honestly. i just hope he gets some mental health help. cause this in display isnt normal. and surely its nothing new. there will always be something or someone like that. but its bad.
lowkey i wish we're all wrong. but it cant be a work when you throw all those colt cabana lawsuit details. man completely dehumanized him and still looked and sounded way worse than i expected. you can hate someone as much as punk. but you know there's just limits to what you should say specially in profession.
That's kinda where I am. I don't know enough details about what's going on behind the scenes to make a full and informed opinion.
If he's telling the truth about everything, I get it. It's not the best way to go about things but I can understand having that kinda of emotional reaction and response.
If he's not telling the truth about everything, fuck him. There isn't much a middle ground to me. This isn't the kinda thing that let's you be in your feelings and be wrong.
The fact that everything that's come out about this seems to make Punk and Steel look like the only ones who are guilty makes me question whether we have even nearly all of the facts yet. I'm not saying Punk isn't in the wrong, but I highly doubt the Bucks and Omega are completely innocent in this whole situation either.
Tony Khan is the biggest problem here, for letting it get to this point. He needs to send them all home on suspension for a couple weeks and tell them all to cool off, come back and be professionals, or don't come back at all.
He's always been kind of a prick. Like I've read and heard numerous stories about him being really standoffish in public and doesn't like people acknowledging him. I argue that's part of being a public figure and if you cant handle it then go be a hermit on your couch in Chicago and don't go outside. He had a lot of stuff to say about people in WWE while he was still in WWE and then even more after. None of this really surprises me. They should just let him go. Seems like a locker room cancer and they have a dozen other draws they could push to his level.
This situation is mostly Punk's fault. Page might have started this, but Punk escalated it at a time when nobody was even talking about Colt anymore. His behavior during the media scrum was completely unprofessional. The Young Bucks and Omega are certainly no angels in all this, but for someone who claims to care about building a dynasty in AEW, he comes across as an egotistical Prima Dona.
It's a work, he actually got the company the most buzz they ever have had since his debut. Also he's in his bitch mode which is better than the happy to be here routine.
This is the most I've ever read about AEW since they started. They're workin me good right now. It's like the modern day version of the first time police came to arrest Stone Cold.
If these guys wanted to harken back to the eras they like best but modernize it for current audiences, this would be the way to do it.
I made the comment to my wife that everyone Punk has worked with so far in AEW has been brought down instead of elevated. Was Darby's best match with Punk? No. Was MJF's best match with Punk? No. Was Hangman's best match with Punk? No. Was Mox's best match with Punk? No. Was Mox's first singles, clean defeat used to elevate a talent to main event status? No it was given to Punk. And along the way he's stepped on Eddie Kingston and continues to go into business for himself, shit talking Eddie Kingston, Cabana, and Hangman when he's not even in programs with them. To quote Star Wars, Punk has become the very thing he swore to destroy. HHH looked Punk in the eye and told him he'd step on anyone on the way to the top. At least HHH had the balls to admit it. Punk pretends he's the opposite but he's just a gutless version of HHH that fancies himself as some holier than thou strait edge savior who can't shut up about Chicago, Larry, and some Chicago local cupcakes that you just have to try. So good he interrupted his off the rails rant to tell everyone on YouTube who's nowhere near Chicago what their hours are. Go back home and cry to your wife.
He's an asshole stuck in a situation where he's mostly in the right but because he's an asshole and the main group he has this beef with are internet darlings and doing their stuff in shady ways he seems like that much more of an asshole. For the most part he's in the right imo, but he should have handled this differently and more maturely.
That's the feeling I got from watching the scrum, dunno about Omega but definitely feel like Page and maybe the Bucks have been doing or saying some stuff in a way where you can't call them out on it without looking like a bitching fool....which is exactly what Punk went and did. Now the hate train against Punk has gathered too much momentum and I can't shake the feeling the bucks are giggling somewhere at how beyond their wildest dreams this has all gone. Still does not excuse how Punk carried himself at the scrum, absolutely not, the irony of calling himself a grown adult and then behaving like that.
Not gunna lie, never cared much for him and this past decade hadn’t helped. The Bucks and Kenny are a clear Klique wanna be group but That media scrum was bad and the fight was worse and CM punk isn’t worth what he’s giving. Each of his feuds so far in AEW, he’s been carried 🤷🏿♂️ Tony is a money mark for Punk
I support CM Punk. He’s a veteran and if he has legit complaints he should be allowed to address those.
But I think it’s a work for attention… and it’s working well.
If it's all real, I don't like it
If it's all kayfabe 2.0, I don't like it
Also, if it's fake then give us the slightest wink and nod so that we aren't worried that our favorite wrestling company is imploding and not worth investing our time/money into...
I think he did kinda give the wink a little bit by going in and out of character while pretty much staying in character and plugging Mindy's Bakery - a fine Chicago purveyor of baked goods. It was really cool to watch.
The easy answer is "I wish he didn't say what he said" but then you remember its Punk were talking about. He does what he wants with a mic in his hand and you know he'll leave at the drop of a hat if that gets taken from him. TK had to let him say what he wanted to say.
I think the main thing tho is his ego took a hit when he realized that the top stars of AEW don't need or want his advice. While personally I think its idiotic of The Bucks and Hangman to publicly state they didn't want his advice, but when you look at what they've accomplished, how can you blame them?
Overall, its the ego which is standard in all locker rooms mixed with the talents ability to air their grievances live on air. HOWEVER, the AEW folks were airing it because it worked with the story while I feel that Punk took it to the next level and turned it into a pro wrestling thing to a real life airing of grievances.
From his time joining AEW he has been pushed well to the top. Darby, Kingston, MJF, then Page were all good. Then he got hurt but still felt like he was going to eventually turn heel given how Kingston, MJF, and Page all mention how they basically had to protect AEW from him. Bit of truth to that apparently.
It’s wrestling, so he can use his voice however bc guys like Bret Hart paved the way to do so. All for him speaking his truth. But it’s unprofessional as to how he buried Hangman for little reason (not listening to vets?) and then the EVPs for unfounded rumors around Colt Cabana moving to ROH (purely speculated given how TK moved Colt to ROH and any journalist with half a brain could link it to the Punk/Cabana issues).
The fight is grossly unprofessional and he said he said at this point. If the EVPs came in instigating and getting physical and Punk defending himself that’s one thing and they should be suspended, if the EVPs came in pissed and yelling turned Punk to throwing the first punch to start the brawl, then Punk is at fault.
Police and legal folks are involved so we won’t get the whole story. 4 things could play out:
- NDAs get signed, no one is punished, MJF takes the belt, they find some mediation, and turn it into a work. This is best possible outcome.
- Punk and EVPs are suspended. Punk is rumored to be hurt anyway so if we get an interim champ again that’s going to be lame as hell.
- Punk and Steel leave and the locker is divided.
- EVPs leave which would then tell us that TK backed Punk, which would also divide the locker room.
Honestly I don’t think he did anything wrong. People have been blaming him for colt not being used but colt wasn’t doing anything before punk arrived. And the bucks are the ones who run BTE so you can’t even blame punk for him not being on the YouTube show either. When you get big stars people like colt and other dark order type background characters either need to step up and do something different or they get pushed off tv for people who will bring ratings. Not gonna speak on the backstage fight because I didn’t witness it and can’t say definitively who threw the first punch
The elite are jealous because he rates higher and sells more than them. He’s so much better than them. He also doesn’t sneak to “media” behind peeps backs. He at least says it to their face. FTR and him vs the elite would be a big draw
I was really happy when Punk joined AEW, it brought new eyes onto the product, there were a lot of people who stopped watching wrestling when Punk left. So from that perspective, it was really good.
Fast forward a year and he's champion, again, it's good for marketing but I would have liked him to maybe have taken a little longer to "climb to the top" either way it is what it is but then at the media scrum he goes off record and slates everyone which I was surprised at, my wrestling head wants it to be a work but watching TKs reactions it looked very real which is terrible for the business.
I don't know where I saw it but this quote seems to ring very true, "CM Punk is always the victim". (It may have been been on AEW)
In my personal opinion CM Punk needs to change his attitude or leave, I don't want one rotten apple ruining everything.
Whooof. I get that he is probably AEW's biggest draw but I really wish they would have held off his title reign for a while, especially with how fucking dreadful it's been. Hangman's reign was the most anticipated in company history. His story didn't deserve to be cut short so he could be fed to Punk who immediately gets injured, is supplanted by a better champion in Moxely, only to be gifted the title again and immediately disgrace it with his petulance outside the ring.
I was hugely excited to see him return and he will probably continue to be a huge draw. But he should have been the heel against Hangman and lost. From an in-ring storyline perspective, it doesn't even make sense that Hangman would go to an hour draw with Danielson in one match, beat him in the second, then lose to CM Punk. Punk is fine, but he's no Danielson as a wrestler.
He's gotta go heel now though. And it will probably be great, he's a natural heel. And it will be even better because he doesn't think he's a heel. You know, like Cody but.......... different....
Isn’t CM Punk playing the part of a WCW-esque veteran that hogs the spot light and gets this privileges. Then us as fans, get upset over this setup and we root for the converse? Wasn’t Jericho’s part in the press conference trying to play on this? To make it seem bigger than it is? To unite us against him - and cm punk becomes a bigger heel? That suppresses talent etc? Almost like a - dare I say - fucking hogan?
I understand his complaints, but he was extremely unprofessional in how he conducted himself. To an extent so was Adam Page, but Punk was worse. He also comes across as somebody who is very easily set off.
He has a God complex and at the least it’s annoying and at the most it’s an albatross. But those same people who treated him as a savior last year now saying “oh he was never even that good of a wrestler and isn’t a draw” because he went at their favorites are liars.
I don’t get it
Quits on the fans, gets beat up in MMA, acts like a petulant child for ten years, puts on this “aw schucks” and works a series of nobodies on his way to beating homegrowns Darby, Eddie, MJF, Page, and Moxley, in that order, clean, and now seemingly wants to get into a dick measuring contest with the elite, being a complete hypocrite in the process
Vince and all his flaws withstanding, the people who chanted “CM Punk” and “Daniel Bryan” at Roman Reigns and made his life a living hell for years look more and more like delusional idiots by the day, because they’re still screaming it at the top of their lungs today, and I really just don’t get it. Behind the scenes and on the screen, what is so special about this guy
There’s my .02c
I think even if you're a massive fan of Punk, knowing that he's kind of an asshole just is accepted. I mean, for fuck's sake, it's wrestling. There are far more popular wrestlers that have done way worse than be an asshole. You don't join the circus cause you've got your shit together.
That being said, can a broken clock be right? Yeah, potentially. Punk's a lot of things but he's never struck me as a liar or manipulator. He's way too thin-skinned sometimes and often volatile on the mic but he's never been an out and out liar. So it's not impossible that what he's saying is true. Granted, I'm absolutely ice cold on the Bucks. Never liked them, always considered them the weakest link of it all, be it Bullet Club, The Elite, or even AEW. Them getting the Trios over Dark Order is quite frankly set my piss to a boil, and it makes Cody's whole period of floundering to not seem like the Triple H of AEW just miserable in hindsight. If Page is acting up, let him, and sort it out backstage. He's one of AEW's major homegrowns, so I wouldn't be surprised if he starts to get bristly with an old coot like Punk.
Ultimately I think TK needs to start swinging the hammer down hard. Too many of these guys are going into business for themselves and they're starting to not respect the heirarchy. This also means making sure the EVPs are professionals, moreso than the regular talent. Punk is still a major draw, regardless of where people stand on him, and especially regardless of where internet smarks stand on him, including me!
I saw the media scrum. The dude belittle the owner with his attitude. I am surprised Tony does not cut Punk's head in public. Punk even said "You are not there yet. Only Vince Mcmahon and Colt Cabanna has made more money from Punk's name." I do not remember the original founder's of AEW or Jericho ever dissing the boss in public. Do you think Punk would be next to Vince Mcmahon eating pastries, licking his fingers and talking with his mouth full.
A dumb sumbitch.
I hated him ever since he became leader of the nexus. I was still a kid then so his character bothered me. At that time he just complained and complained on screen. The audience cheered him and booed John Cena. Yet he was leader of the damn nexus lol. Then I became a teen and started to see that as his real life character. A year long title reign, VIP treatment, freedom to go off script on the mic and all the money in the world. Ring time with legends like Taker and the Rock and still has time to talk about how he’s treated.
He thinks he’s elevated to the most intelligent guy on the planet because he’s against religion, drugs and alcohol. Now he’s wrestling out of shape in his 40s to prove a point. But he’s doing the same thing in AEW that he was doing in WWE. Freedom to talk shit to his superiors and keep his fan base and job.
I don’t care much about wrestlers not getting along. It’s entertaining. I don’t care if Onefa and Bucks get their ass kicked. Punk absolutely through AEW under the bus. I felt bad for Tony Khan. He cut down everything they have been working toward. I still like Punk, though. Use it while they have this attention. They should still be able to work with each other, but they need to hash this silliness out.
Completely unprofessional And if he assaulted an EVP he should be sent packing. Can't see how TK gets around it any other way, some people are saying it's a chance to run a major story but this seems like it's gone too far. We ain't living in 90s.
Look, wrestlers hated each other through the course of history. Plenty of guys detested each other behind the scenes but did very good business together on camera.
Bret Hart And HBK put on classics and they couldn't stand one another. Rock and Triple H didn't like each other. Foley and Triple H didn't like each other. Austin and Undertaker didn't get along. Hogan and Savage another. Jake Roberts and most of his opponents. Flair and the NWO. Hell Andre the Giant did the job to the Ultimate Warrior and he completely hated him. Jericho despised Chyna but worked a rather entertaining program with her. Jericho also had problems with a lot of guys in WWE, especially Triple H but they put personal problems aside for business. That's not even touching on the golden era of the territories where guys flat out detested one another but out together some historical matches and programs.
They don't have to be friends. They have to want to make money. Right now AEW has some serious potential to tap into this and create something special. My only doubt on them being able to do that is how thin skinned CM Punk and 3/4 of the Elite are (Hangman seems to care the least).
This guy knows his worth and always has. People don’t like confident people. When he says a million dollar house on his back he is telling the truth. Just because you helped start a company doesn’t mean you have value and he has pointed that out and people can’t handle hearing the truth.
The Young Bucks know how to market themselves, that doesn’t translate to booking or running a wrestling company.
He clearly admits to being mentally unwell saying he would be dead if his wife wasn't around for his foot injury. Clearly there's some deep life long mental issues coming to the surface.
He’s hilarious. Came in to much fanfare, been a total flop in both performance and ratings, and now he’s self-destructing and dragging the whole company down and making everyone look bad - possibly even as an intentional storyline, which is even funnier.
He was treated like a saviour and god, and folks wonder why he acts like one
This is why I wanted Bryan to be in Punk's spot. That guy's actually humble and nice.
One of the nicest wrestlers of all time outside the ring
I JUST HOPE...... they give Bryan the "Omega treatment" down the line. Meaning that Bryan should win all the titles that every promotion has like Omega, and would actually be a bigger draw. Since i am sure many other wrestling companies would want D Bryan as their champ. I am not sure what Khan's plan is for D Bryan, but so far he is been put in the "background". And doesn't help he lost to Y2J recently.
I can only speak for myself but I know that I would much rather see Bryan doing basically anything in-ring or character-wise over what Punk has given us. Punk's AEW run has been like what happened to Seth McFarlane after Family Guy got put back on the air. It gave a talented dude with a big ego the idea that he could not be wrong ever and that fans would love and support him no matter how much his attitude hurt the final product. Seth McFarlane seems to have changed course at least.
I would just like to say, I don’t think Bryan wants to do that honestly. He has a kid (or two I can’t remember) at home, a wife he loves spending time with, and it’s the major reason he even signed with AEW. He doesn’t have to be champion and have to go to all of the shows and be there 24/7, or go to other companies. I think he wants to be a “bridge” type of person, someone to put over the next generation. I could be way off, but based off how he talked with why he chose AEW over WWE, I think it’s a safe assumption.
I like this take. I don't feel the need to shit on him 'cause he's a wrassler and I an adult wrasslin' fan, so I mean... C'mon. But as someone who missed his WWE years and has only seen him in AEW, I don't get or like how he's become the focal point of the promotion, and is being booked like he's this serious badass who can outperform anyone when... he's a balding, often grumpy guy whose *every program* sees him and his opponent awkwardly shuffling between who is face and heel. (Every opponent he's had becomes a different character when they begin feuding, so abruptly it's silly even by wrasslin' standards). I don't get why he is a wrestling god beyond shit that happened over a decade ago, that I never saw and couldn't care less about. I think it's silly to rage on the guy for making a buck, I mean he's a pro entertainer and not a politician playing with lives-- but I also think that having an untouchable with a major contract be so brazen about his vendettas against his coworkers and, arguably, against his supervisors is baaaaaaad for business. I don't
His whole thing was pandering to people who read gossip sites and hated Vince McMahon and John Cena. He was a character in WWE for anti-fans of WWE, which was unique at the time. He was an unprofessional moody teenager being edgy when the rest of the company was professional adults being family friendly. That resonated big with a certain section of the audience, the ones who saw WWE as the heel. But that dynamic doesn’t really exist or work in AEW, because the fanbase is so much smaller and they see the company as the babyface. He’s not a revolutionary battling a big evil corporation, he’s a toxic middle-aged man raging against the dying of the light.
yeah none of this angle makes sense, nothing in aew has the corporate heat vince carried and never will so I'm not sure why the internet is so invested. Self hatred and boredom i guess
Yeah, its hilarious he paints the Elite of only appealing to a niche audience. They're all just fighting over the same smarks.
this is the perfect summary
FWIW, his look wasn’t much better in his WWE days. Was always soft looking, kind of out of shape, and unable to do his finisher to several of the heavyweights. But I think I’m a little old school in that I’m not a fan of his promos, which often break the 4th of all in a way that ruins my suspension of disbelief. That may be an uncommon opinion, I’m not sure.
Yeah would it kill him to lift some weights? I could suspend my disbelief when he was young and he could take on the Batista types with his skill, craftiness and intelligence. But in his 40's... Wardlow would snap him in half. And NO WAY is he 218 lbs. I'm basically his size and I'm 181.
His billed weight (like many pro wrestlers) is inflated for sure. I actually think Punk looks the best right now than he did when he debuted in AEW. His arms and shoulders look good but his legs and abs are still flabby. I mean good for him for not being on PED’s (presumably) but yeah… he’s well into his 40’s now and it ain’t gonna get any easier to maintain his physique.
He’s not nearly 218lbs, in UFC he fought at 170lbs, and I know everyone cuts weight to fight etc, but he didn’t look depleted in the least
I loved him as a kid. I remember watching the No Way Out PPV where he failed to beat Chavo Guerrero for the ECW title, only to win Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 24 and go on to become World Heavyweight Champion. It was a 3 month story that for a 10 year old felt like the most epic redemption arc. Today his promos are still fire and I'll call him a great on that front, but yeah his current wrestling is middle of the road and nostalgia is a big reason people love him. And there's nothing wrong with that imo. People give nostalgia a negative connotation but there's nothing wrong with wanting to feel like a little kid again sometimes
I’m in the same position. I missed his “glory days” and don’t currently see the man living up to the hype. He even gave MJF a week as a babyface lol
Punk was an indie darling in the early 00s, same as Daniel Bryan. But neither had the "look" WWE wanted, but could wrestle their hearts out. Like..... Punk is essentially a leaner Jeff Hardy which doesn't exactly scream "main event." But Punk got called to OVW and developmental, then the ECW reboot happened and Punk was sorta positioned as this new guard. In a business with insane politicking Punk by virtue of being a consistently good wrestler, got the WWE championship and had a great heel reign. If I recall correctly, the original booking for The Shield was to have them be Punk's enforcers, which would've been a HUGE angle, but The Shield got over enough on their own they became their own thing. Then Punk got done dirty by WWE, which happens and has been off in the hinterlands for the better part of a decade. Coming back is a mixed bag, you already had this kinda interesting cemented counter culture legacy, and when he was commentating on the WWE sports show, could give just straight shoots on everything, which was kinda cool, and anytime anyone ran a show in Chicago there was always a "what if?" element. But he's back, and well... it's not great? Punk was iconic in the early 00s... nowadays there's a whole generation of wrestlers that have innovated beyond that. I dunno... it's like McDonald's bringing back the McRib. Nostalgia only lasts a little while.
Fuck you. Mcribs are delicious.
Crusty McRib Punk
This is the comment I was looking for. Near the end of the John Cena era we were so hungry for a proper Superstar we all latched on to CM punk. Made him a superstar when he really wasn't cause he was just one of our best options at the time. He go so far into his own head that it carried him into MMA and an embarrassment which should have buried him for good. But it didn't because he still had that fan base. As far as why he maintained his fan base that's because of Roman reigns. If anything CM punk was the anti-Reins that other fans could get on board with. If we had a proper superstar that fans could gravitate to both Reigns and Punk would be top tier but not world champion material. Like a step above Seamus. Need a proper superstar to remind us that these guys we hold at the top do not deserve to be there.. But that age is gone.
Absolutely. His rise in WWE was more of a respond to the product at the time than his talent, but being a narcissist, Phil thinks everything is about him. In a world where PWG exists and NJPW is accessible to everyone, Punk’s ceiling is about Sami Zayn level. I mean that as a compliment. His floor is probably around a Bobby Roode. I think he sees himself on a Roddy Piper or Bret Hart caliber, but what made them legends was consistency, which punk lacks. You could build a long program around Bret because he was reliable and his character evolved over time. Everyone remembers his big moments but those moments were the result of his consistency.
I agree with most of your opinion, but I think he was deserving of superstar status when he was white hot with WWE. He’s a little undersized for what WWE likes, but I saw him as a modern day HBK. Problem is WWE never pushed him like they believed in him. Seemed like they got stuck with a guy that fans wanted but they couldn’t get behind. Wouldn’t even book him to headline a PPV as champ unless he was facing Cena. And his attitude kinda did him in. Played the victim card to death… in kayfabe and in real life apparently. Almost a modern day Warrior.
[удалено]
I agree. Always found his in ring work to be kinda stiff in the wrong ways. Never felt his best in the world vibe.
HBK was a crazy athlete though and jacked. Punk is basically proud of not looking like he lifts 😆
“It’s a shameful thing “
Lobster head
Too many limes
*Too many limes! Oooooooooh*
It really makes you appreciate people in society who are treated this way but DON'T act like Punk. LeBron James for example. He's been treated like a king ever since he was in high school. Outside of your typical LeBron hater who will criticize him for flopping occasionally, by all accounts, he has a standout human being. Imagine if LeBron gave a press conference like this, throwing his teammates under the bus, and then when he got back to the locker room, threw a punch at them and had his personal trainer start bashing people over the head with a chair.
Lebron is a terrible example lol. He gaslights his teammates & gets coaches fired.
Was just gonna say Lebron is a rough example. Dude is one of the goats in terms of performance on the court but he’s also a professional meddler and crybaby.
In fairness, LeBron has a whole apparatus of press and behind the scenes people to throw teammates under the bus. He doesn’t have to get his hands dirty to put people in the place he thinks they should be in.
Le bron is an awful example
This has a chance to be one of the hottest angles in over a decade. Punk should probably turn heel but I don't know if Tony has the huevos to do it.
[удалено]
I predict This dynamite there will be a large Colt Covana chant when Punk is in the ring. How punk responds to those chants will determine what role he will be moving forward
I fucking love that idea
"He's in another company, cause I told tony I don't want him here" is the only proper response imo
I think he might literally start assaulting fans or have some sort of fit and start like, slapping himself in his own face. He is SUCH a man-baby I don't know what else he'd do.
Cheering MJF over Punk lol
I was there, he was crazy over as usual. Of course MJF was going to get a huge reaction... Of course none of this matters anymore seeing as how Punk's gonna be gone
In terms of the online community, it’s absolutely the hottest thing since the Vegas “Pipebomb” promo. How AEW is going to convert this to sales (especially for those who don’t care about backstage stuff) is beyond me, but it’s exciting.
The hottest thing since 3 months ago ain’t saying much lol
Punk has been teasing heel for like 6+ months. Just going by the reaction on the internet, there is no way Punk doesn't come out Wednesday to a sea of boos.
I think it's all a work and this is how he's turning heel.
Nah, the dude is a asshole and has never changed
Work or shoot time to turn him heel and let him be an entitled locker room tyrant on tv and then rake in cash when Kenny Omega beats the everloving snot out of him on ppv.
MJF will, not Kenny, at least that was the plan I believe
Even if all of his grievances WERE 100% true, he: * Won the biggest belt in the company * Broke his foot doing a stage dive * The company tied itself in knots keeping the belt warm for him * He won it back * After elevating his old friend and trainer to an on-camera presence * In his beloved hometown And all he can think about in that moment is unleashing on people who wronged him in unrelated matters
What’s really ticked me off is that he has caused MJFs return to be completely overshadowed
I don’t know if MJF would have the right to talk about overshadowing anything
MJF would nev-oh...
If you rewatch the end of the PPV he looks really pissed off that MJF ruined his moment to celebrate. Then when the crowd chanted MJF he looked like he was going nuts inside. Then he went to do a live media scrum...
I enjoy punk I marked out big when he came back but everything negative people feared have come true. He looked pissed like a child
Eh, MJF did the same thing to Wardlow he deserves it.
Has Cabana even mentioned Brooks since the split happened? Real shitty behaviour of Brooks to mention buying Cabana's house and saying that he has a joint bank with his Mother if Cabana hasn't said anything about him in years.
Colt has never talked about his side of the story, and pretty until it was brought up recently, Punk never really addressed it outside of a couple of tweets a few years ago, which he didn't really expand on much other than calling Colt an backstabber. Punk generally ignores questions about it when asked at cons or events. Because of how Punk has generally avoided talking about this, and that subtle pause he had after he mentioned Cabana's bank account, as if he knew he shouldn't have gone there, I feel like this is all being played up on purpose. I don't think this whole thing is a work, but I think there are advantageous minds at work here, taking advantage of real world tension. It is also entirely possible Tony Khan is just trash at his job and can't keep things together. But if you look at everything since Punk arrived, how he acted the first 6 months compared to the last 6 months, reports that came out then compared to now, etc, there's a lot that just doesn't add up to just Punk going nuts out of nowhere.
I'm a fan of his, but my fandom is wavering. Too many situations where he is the common denominator
If you haven't synthesized that he is a dick yet, I dunno what to tell you.
this dude is mad at adam page for doing what punk did to john cena. you literally could have replaced punk with cena and page with punk, and that is exactly how punk acted. he didnt give a shit about wrestler court or taker or JBL but turns around and does the same thing. fuck this guy
The cena thing was all a work and the "pipebomb" was approved and even added to by Vince before it happened.
What came first, Page talking about worker rights or Punk calling him out then calling him a coward for not coming out when Page wasn't even at the show?
Page called Punk out when he wasn’t on the show for an injury and that happened first.
Punk has handled the entire situation like the gigantic piece of shit that he is, but by all accounts I've seen, the start of entire thing lies squarely with Page.
I can't seem to figure out where all this talk of "if you have a problem my door is open" but when he has a problem he waits until he's on live TV to make a bigger deal out of it. At that point I'm not looking at Page for what he said but Punks overreaction
I love that his door is always open, but the second someone comes through it to confront him, assuming verbally, he throws hands at the drop of a hat, and his boy Ace goes completely off the chain and starts lobbing chairs at people.
He has never cared about the fans and has proven to be an ego maniac time and time again. He sat and complained until he could leach off the hard work of people who actually built something
Agree. I am trying but I can't seem to put into words the same thought.
Paul was right.
He seems like a total asshole to me. He thinks he’s a tough guy badass but does all this because he got his feelings hurt by Hangman? He is also delusional about his contribution to AEW. If only Danielson would have gotten out of his contract a few months earlier.
Danielson by all regards is out there putting over talent at no damage to his own reputation. Who has Punk helped other than Punk?
I mean i know who ACE steel is, sort of
Who has Punk ever helped?
Serena? Anderson? Maybe… Totally agree with your sentiment btw, just throwing out possible examples
Yea he really elevated them /s
Oh, for sure, it was a little tongue in cheek!
I know that's why I put the /s but on a real note it's pretty sad to this guy act like this again. I remember being like 12-13 years old when he made his WWE debut and I was a big fan right away. Then all of the drama unfolded but I thought it was just him working the business like a genius. Now to see this level of arrogance though. It's embarrassing for TK honestly. Im not even a big AEW fan but I respect the product so much because it forces WWE to stop being mediocre. Here comes Punk to tear it all down.
I mean, the feud with MJF definitely helped MJF reach the next level.
Tough guy badass persona got wiped out when he got wrecked in mma
That was so embarrassing.
Mox should’ve won.
I feel like Tony really wants to finish the Punk/MJF story. Once that is done, I don't know what else he has planned, but hopefully MJF is greatly elevated and Punk can walk Larry off into the Chicago sunset.
I don't know if they'll even get to finish it now. Punk will be suspended for hitting an EVP and if Steele is fired he could walk.
I can see a story where Punk (and the others) are written out for a month, letting MJF and Stokely take over AEW. It would suck, but I think long-term they need to lay down some punishment.
Mox keeps it strictly business too.
Mr reliable. Hell the guy went to rehab and was only gone 3 months
Yep, I never liked his work in WWE(just like my feelings on Punk), but Moxley has made me a fan with his AEW work. Punk...lol, not so much
He shouldn't have aired his dirty laundry in public, and some of the things he said were baseless and incredibly petty. That being said there is no smoke without fire, and while he's known for not letting things go I don't think he's got a reputation as a liar or manipulator, so I think he genuinely came in with (and still does) have good intentions (for both his and AEW's business) that he believes are being intentionally undermined by the actions and attitudes of the EVPs and "AEW originals". I think there needs to be a deeper analysis of why he went off like he did beyond "Punk is x" and "he wants to destroy AEW because y"
What did the young bucks specifically say/do to him to garner his response at the media scrum?
They supposedly started rumors that he is the reason colt was gone and he claims he didn’t have anything to do with that
Needs to figure something out about his hair
1 year ago, I thought he would be the hero that'll bring AEW to new heights and while his feuds with Kingston and MJF were great. I think its gotten to his head now. Quote the pipebombs all you want but AEW was not born nor revolves around Punk. AEW was born and lived through the pandemic without Punk but I don't think anyone will believe AEW would survive without The Elite. I once thought he was a great guy, an idol to look up to but man that scrum showed his pettiness and true colors, he's no savior if anything he's the one whose singlehandedly sinking the ship. (Work or no, this can't be good for the locker room morale. More so the image of AEW at the moment)
same. i thought aew was the perfect home for him. but man its disappointing. that doesnt make him king of the castle. honestly. i just hope he gets some mental health help. cause this in display isnt normal. and surely its nothing new. there will always be something or someone like that. but its bad. lowkey i wish we're all wrong. but it cant be a work when you throw all those colt cabana lawsuit details. man completely dehumanized him and still looked and sounded way worse than i expected. you can hate someone as much as punk. but you know there's just limits to what you should say specially in profession.
Not great ATM, but going to wait to see what all comes of it.
That's kinda where I am. I don't know enough details about what's going on behind the scenes to make a full and informed opinion. If he's telling the truth about everything, I get it. It's not the best way to go about things but I can understand having that kinda of emotional reaction and response. If he's not telling the truth about everything, fuck him. There isn't much a middle ground to me. This isn't the kinda thing that let's you be in your feelings and be wrong.
The fact that everything that's come out about this seems to make Punk and Steel look like the only ones who are guilty makes me question whether we have even nearly all of the facts yet. I'm not saying Punk isn't in the wrong, but I highly doubt the Bucks and Omega are completely innocent in this whole situation either. Tony Khan is the biggest problem here, for letting it get to this point. He needs to send them all home on suspension for a couple weeks and tell them all to cool off, come back and be professionals, or don't come back at all.
Be careful, you’re giving a nuanced opinion on Reddit.
Hope you all start booing him
AEW would be fine w/o him
Just like WWE is fine without him.
If he walked away from the industry tomorrow I think AEW is better off
He's always been kind of a prick. Like I've read and heard numerous stories about him being really standoffish in public and doesn't like people acknowledging him. I argue that's part of being a public figure and if you cant handle it then go be a hermit on your couch in Chicago and don't go outside. He had a lot of stuff to say about people in WWE while he was still in WWE and then even more after. None of this really surprises me. They should just let him go. Seems like a locker room cancer and they have a dozen other draws they could push to his level.
This situation is mostly Punk's fault. Page might have started this, but Punk escalated it at a time when nobody was even talking about Colt anymore. His behavior during the media scrum was completely unprofessional. The Young Bucks and Omega are certainly no angels in all this, but for someone who claims to care about building a dynasty in AEW, he comes across as an egotistical Prima Dona.
A bully who is only in it for himself and is way over rated
It's a work, he actually got the company the most buzz they ever have had since his debut. Also he's in his bitch mode which is better than the happy to be here routine.
This is the most I've ever read about AEW since they started. They're workin me good right now. It's like the modern day version of the first time police came to arrest Stone Cold. If these guys wanted to harken back to the eras they like best but modernize it for current audiences, this would be the way to do it.
I made the comment to my wife that everyone Punk has worked with so far in AEW has been brought down instead of elevated. Was Darby's best match with Punk? No. Was MJF's best match with Punk? No. Was Hangman's best match with Punk? No. Was Mox's best match with Punk? No. Was Mox's first singles, clean defeat used to elevate a talent to main event status? No it was given to Punk. And along the way he's stepped on Eddie Kingston and continues to go into business for himself, shit talking Eddie Kingston, Cabana, and Hangman when he's not even in programs with them. To quote Star Wars, Punk has become the very thing he swore to destroy. HHH looked Punk in the eye and told him he'd step on anyone on the way to the top. At least HHH had the balls to admit it. Punk pretends he's the opposite but he's just a gutless version of HHH that fancies himself as some holier than thou strait edge savior who can't shut up about Chicago, Larry, and some Chicago local cupcakes that you just have to try. So good he interrupted his off the rails rant to tell everyone on YouTube who's nowhere near Chicago what their hours are. Go back home and cry to your wife.
My God. Don't get that man started on Chicago.
Self-absorbed cunt. Not a single ounce of support from me, even when he walked out in 2014.
He should be suspended, Eddie was for less (that’s not saying he did or didn’t deserve to be suspended in the first place)
Meah, never watched him before this and not a fan of this man
He's an asshole stuck in a situation where he's mostly in the right but because he's an asshole and the main group he has this beef with are internet darlings and doing their stuff in shady ways he seems like that much more of an asshole. For the most part he's in the right imo, but he should have handled this differently and more maturely.
Here's the thing though: The Bucks and Omega didn't leak the info. Sean Ross Sapp himself said it.
That's the feeling I got from watching the scrum, dunno about Omega but definitely feel like Page and maybe the Bucks have been doing or saying some stuff in a way where you can't call them out on it without looking like a bitching fool....which is exactly what Punk went and did. Now the hate train against Punk has gathered too much momentum and I can't shake the feeling the bucks are giggling somewhere at how beyond their wildest dreams this has all gone. Still does not excuse how Punk carried himself at the scrum, absolutely not, the irony of calling himself a grown adult and then behaving like that.
Punk screwed Punk
AEW has a chance to have either the best or worst storyline in the last few years
Lot of marks in this comment section 😂
Its always funny when everyone rushed to his defense even when fucks up which is often.
I love CM Punk, Hell I love Punk more than The Elite by far, but this man's ego is a bit much. and pretty cringey.
Not gunna lie, never cared much for him and this past decade hadn’t helped. The Bucks and Kenny are a clear Klique wanna be group but That media scrum was bad and the fight was worse and CM punk isn’t worth what he’s giving. Each of his feuds so far in AEW, he’s been carried 🤷🏿♂️ Tony is a money mark for Punk
I support CM Punk. He’s a veteran and if he has legit complaints he should be allowed to address those. But I think it’s a work for attention… and it’s working well.
If it's all real, I don't like it If it's all kayfabe 2.0, I don't like it Also, if it's fake then give us the slightest wink and nod so that we aren't worried that our favorite wrestling company is imploding and not worth investing our time/money into...
I think he did kinda give the wink a little bit by going in and out of character while pretty much staying in character and plugging Mindy's Bakery - a fine Chicago purveyor of baked goods. It was really cool to watch.
The easy answer is "I wish he didn't say what he said" but then you remember its Punk were talking about. He does what he wants with a mic in his hand and you know he'll leave at the drop of a hat if that gets taken from him. TK had to let him say what he wanted to say. I think the main thing tho is his ego took a hit when he realized that the top stars of AEW don't need or want his advice. While personally I think its idiotic of The Bucks and Hangman to publicly state they didn't want his advice, but when you look at what they've accomplished, how can you blame them? Overall, its the ego which is standard in all locker rooms mixed with the talents ability to air their grievances live on air. HOWEVER, the AEW folks were airing it because it worked with the story while I feel that Punk took it to the next level and turned it into a pro wrestling thing to a real life airing of grievances.
Well it looks like people are still talking about this. Hmmm feels like Punks doing his job. Keep people talking about you.
Honestly wondering if I’m all hyped up after a big event, late at night and three guys enter my change room and start yelling at me how I would react
From his time joining AEW he has been pushed well to the top. Darby, Kingston, MJF, then Page were all good. Then he got hurt but still felt like he was going to eventually turn heel given how Kingston, MJF, and Page all mention how they basically had to protect AEW from him. Bit of truth to that apparently. It’s wrestling, so he can use his voice however bc guys like Bret Hart paved the way to do so. All for him speaking his truth. But it’s unprofessional as to how he buried Hangman for little reason (not listening to vets?) and then the EVPs for unfounded rumors around Colt Cabana moving to ROH (purely speculated given how TK moved Colt to ROH and any journalist with half a brain could link it to the Punk/Cabana issues). The fight is grossly unprofessional and he said he said at this point. If the EVPs came in instigating and getting physical and Punk defending himself that’s one thing and they should be suspended, if the EVPs came in pissed and yelling turned Punk to throwing the first punch to start the brawl, then Punk is at fault. Police and legal folks are involved so we won’t get the whole story. 4 things could play out: - NDAs get signed, no one is punished, MJF takes the belt, they find some mediation, and turn it into a work. This is best possible outcome. - Punk and EVPs are suspended. Punk is rumored to be hurt anyway so if we get an interim champ again that’s going to be lame as hell. - Punk and Steel leave and the locker is divided. - EVPs leave which would then tell us that TK backed Punk, which would also divide the locker room.
Its all a very well done work.
Honestly I don’t think he did anything wrong. People have been blaming him for colt not being used but colt wasn’t doing anything before punk arrived. And the bucks are the ones who run BTE so you can’t even blame punk for him not being on the YouTube show either. When you get big stars people like colt and other dark order type background characters either need to step up and do something different or they get pushed off tv for people who will bring ratings. Not gonna speak on the backstage fight because I didn’t witness it and can’t say definitively who threw the first punch
The elite are jealous because he rates higher and sells more than them. He’s so much better than them. He also doesn’t sneak to “media” behind peeps backs. He at least says it to their face. FTR and him vs the elite would be a big draw
I think Punk is a grown man tired of dealing with children and no names who think they’re better than they are.
Wasn’t super stoked on him coming in the first place, but I was never big on Punk
Was always a garbage wrestler and worker. Will never understand why he's at all popular. He's a shitstain on the industry.
He did his job for aew, drop the belt to mjf and leave
Love calling out the bucks/hangman if everything he says is true. Don’t love the details of the fighting
His good
Love the guy
i think (hope) this is a work and exactly what MJF and Hangman were talking about in their promos.
I was really happy when Punk joined AEW, it brought new eyes onto the product, there were a lot of people who stopped watching wrestling when Punk left. So from that perspective, it was really good. Fast forward a year and he's champion, again, it's good for marketing but I would have liked him to maybe have taken a little longer to "climb to the top" either way it is what it is but then at the media scrum he goes off record and slates everyone which I was surprised at, my wrestling head wants it to be a work but watching TKs reactions it looked very real which is terrible for the business. I don't know where I saw it but this quote seems to ring very true, "CM Punk is always the victim". (It may have been been on AEW) In my personal opinion CM Punk needs to change his attitude or leave, I don't want one rotten apple ruining everything.
Trash 🗑 🗑🗑🗑🗑🗑
(Insert "Asshole" chants)
Whooof. I get that he is probably AEW's biggest draw but I really wish they would have held off his title reign for a while, especially with how fucking dreadful it's been. Hangman's reign was the most anticipated in company history. His story didn't deserve to be cut short so he could be fed to Punk who immediately gets injured, is supplanted by a better champion in Moxely, only to be gifted the title again and immediately disgrace it with his petulance outside the ring. I was hugely excited to see him return and he will probably continue to be a huge draw. But he should have been the heel against Hangman and lost. From an in-ring storyline perspective, it doesn't even make sense that Hangman would go to an hour draw with Danielson in one match, beat him in the second, then lose to CM Punk. Punk is fine, but he's no Danielson as a wrestler. He's gotta go heel now though. And it will probably be great, he's a natural heel. And it will be even better because he doesn't think he's a heel. You know, like Cody but.......... different....
Isn’t CM Punk playing the part of a WCW-esque veteran that hogs the spot light and gets this privileges. Then us as fans, get upset over this setup and we root for the converse? Wasn’t Jericho’s part in the press conference trying to play on this? To make it seem bigger than it is? To unite us against him - and cm punk becomes a bigger heel? That suppresses talent etc? Almost like a - dare I say - fucking hogan?
I understand his complaints, but he was extremely unprofessional in how he conducted himself. To an extent so was Adam Page, but Punk was worse. He also comes across as somebody who is very easily set off.
He's a polarizing figure and has a great character, but if he's anything like his character that's really bad
He has a God complex and at the least it’s annoying and at the most it’s an albatross. But those same people who treated him as a savior last year now saying “oh he was never even that good of a wrestler and isn’t a draw” because he went at their favorites are liars.
Sounds like the whole fucking locker room are a bunch of drama queens. This is what happens when you let the inmates run the asylum.
If all of this is 100% true (which it looks like it is and not a work), I'd fire Punk right away.
not a fan of him i never was
He's a bigger whiny bitch than Bret Hart.
Phil Brooks seems like a sociopath, even when he was talking in the scrum his voice sounded completely different. Almost deranged
He’s become more toxic than valuable.
If the summer taught us anything, it’s that they don’t need him.
I don’t get it Quits on the fans, gets beat up in MMA, acts like a petulant child for ten years, puts on this “aw schucks” and works a series of nobodies on his way to beating homegrowns Darby, Eddie, MJF, Page, and Moxley, in that order, clean, and now seemingly wants to get into a dick measuring contest with the elite, being a complete hypocrite in the process Vince and all his flaws withstanding, the people who chanted “CM Punk” and “Daniel Bryan” at Roman Reigns and made his life a living hell for years look more and more like delusional idiots by the day, because they’re still screaming it at the top of their lungs today, and I really just don’t get it. Behind the scenes and on the screen, what is so special about this guy There’s my .02c
Egomaniacal diva
He used to be great. Now he’s a cancer
Fuck off
I think he’s acting like a petty whiny little bitch now. Someone needs to give him his juice box and a snickers bar, then send him for a nap.
The dude is a liability. There's a reason WWE had refused to work with him for all these years, and it seems AEW has discovered it.
I think even if you're a massive fan of Punk, knowing that he's kind of an asshole just is accepted. I mean, for fuck's sake, it's wrestling. There are far more popular wrestlers that have done way worse than be an asshole. You don't join the circus cause you've got your shit together. That being said, can a broken clock be right? Yeah, potentially. Punk's a lot of things but he's never struck me as a liar or manipulator. He's way too thin-skinned sometimes and often volatile on the mic but he's never been an out and out liar. So it's not impossible that what he's saying is true. Granted, I'm absolutely ice cold on the Bucks. Never liked them, always considered them the weakest link of it all, be it Bullet Club, The Elite, or even AEW. Them getting the Trios over Dark Order is quite frankly set my piss to a boil, and it makes Cody's whole period of floundering to not seem like the Triple H of AEW just miserable in hindsight. If Page is acting up, let him, and sort it out backstage. He's one of AEW's major homegrowns, so I wouldn't be surprised if he starts to get bristly with an old coot like Punk. Ultimately I think TK needs to start swinging the hammer down hard. Too many of these guys are going into business for themselves and they're starting to not respect the heirarchy. This also means making sure the EVPs are professionals, moreso than the regular talent. Punk is still a major draw, regardless of where people stand on him, and especially regardless of where internet smarks stand on him, including me!
Personally it was exciting when he joined AEW but he hasnt done anything in ring / out of ring to really make himself interesting except “be famous”
Please Retire 👏👏👏👏👏
I saw the media scrum. The dude belittle the owner with his attitude. I am surprised Tony does not cut Punk's head in public. Punk even said "You are not there yet. Only Vince Mcmahon and Colt Cabanna has made more money from Punk's name." I do not remember the original founder's of AEW or Jericho ever dissing the boss in public. Do you think Punk would be next to Vince Mcmahon eating pastries, licking his fingers and talking with his mouth full.
A dumb sumbitch. I hated him ever since he became leader of the nexus. I was still a kid then so his character bothered me. At that time he just complained and complained on screen. The audience cheered him and booed John Cena. Yet he was leader of the damn nexus lol. Then I became a teen and started to see that as his real life character. A year long title reign, VIP treatment, freedom to go off script on the mic and all the money in the world. Ring time with legends like Taker and the Rock and still has time to talk about how he’s treated. He thinks he’s elevated to the most intelligent guy on the planet because he’s against religion, drugs and alcohol. Now he’s wrestling out of shape in his 40s to prove a point. But he’s doing the same thing in AEW that he was doing in WWE. Freedom to talk shit to his superiors and keep his fan base and job.
Absolute cancer to the company. People will tune in just to see how it ends and not care to tune in again
Everything he touches turns into shit once the hype is gone.
He’s a Punk , period
Cunt
New-era Hogan.
Made a bad situation a whole lot worse.
I don’t care much about wrestlers not getting along. It’s entertaining. I don’t care if Onefa and Bucks get their ass kicked. Punk absolutely through AEW under the bus. I felt bad for Tony Khan. He cut down everything they have been working toward. I still like Punk, though. Use it while they have this attention. They should still be able to work with each other, but they need to hash this silliness out.
Completely unprofessional And if he assaulted an EVP he should be sent packing. Can't see how TK gets around it any other way, some people are saying it's a chance to run a major story but this seems like it's gone too far. We ain't living in 90s.
The sooner this pampered piece of shit leaves wrestliing the better . Seriously f**k this guy.
Fuck Punk
Look, wrestlers hated each other through the course of history. Plenty of guys detested each other behind the scenes but did very good business together on camera. Bret Hart And HBK put on classics and they couldn't stand one another. Rock and Triple H didn't like each other. Foley and Triple H didn't like each other. Austin and Undertaker didn't get along. Hogan and Savage another. Jake Roberts and most of his opponents. Flair and the NWO. Hell Andre the Giant did the job to the Ultimate Warrior and he completely hated him. Jericho despised Chyna but worked a rather entertaining program with her. Jericho also had problems with a lot of guys in WWE, especially Triple H but they put personal problems aside for business. That's not even touching on the golden era of the territories where guys flat out detested one another but out together some historical matches and programs. They don't have to be friends. They have to want to make money. Right now AEW has some serious potential to tap into this and create something special. My only doubt on them being able to do that is how thin skinned CM Punk and 3/4 of the Elite are (Hangman seems to care the least).
Being a Crybaby
He’s screwing up a good thing.
I honestly think he’s a whiny baby.
Garbage whiny douchebage that's a decade past his prime.
I don’t hate him, but he ain’t doing anything for me. I guess you can say he’s becoming stale like the Bloodline in WWE.
If this is a work then punk turns heel. If this is real and Steel bit Kenny fire ace, give MJF the belt soon and then either fire or suspend punk
He’s in deep doodoo
Yeah I think dudes a prick now honestly.
This guy knows his worth and always has. People don’t like confident people. When he says a million dollar house on his back he is telling the truth. Just because you helped start a company doesn’t mean you have value and he has pointed that out and people can’t handle hearing the truth. The Young Bucks know how to market themselves, that doesn’t translate to booking or running a wrestling company.
Fuck Punk. I didn't return to wrestling 3 yrs ago to watch AEW go the way of TNT or WCW. If TK pushes out the Elite over Punk Hogans bullshit im done.
Punk is amazing and the reason I paid for the ppv. The mjf vs punk fued is gonna be lit
I feel like he’s an entitled asshole.
If he’s a locker room leader, why didn’t he hold a meeting with the elite before it boiled over? The talent in locker room usually police themselves.
Fragile mind. Fragile body. Fragile ego.
He sucks balls and always has.
Toxic
A child.
He clearly admits to being mentally unwell saying he would be dead if his wife wasn't around for his foot injury. Clearly there's some deep life long mental issues coming to the surface.
He’s hilarious. Came in to much fanfare, been a total flop in both performance and ratings, and now he’s self-destructing and dragging the whole company down and making everyone look bad - possibly even as an intentional storyline, which is even funnier.
Fuck that guy