CM Punk recently appeared on Ariel Helwani’s “The MMA Hour” podcast where he discussed his unceremonious AEW departure and return to WWE.
Fightful Select has shared a report regarding the reaction to Punk’s comments in AEW and WWE.
According to the report, the reactions from talent do not reflect the company they are signed to.
In regard to the CM Punk and Jack Perry altercation that took place at All In 2023, AEW talent stated that the issue was less about Punk not wanting to use glass in the vignette taping at AEW Collision, and more about him narrating the story to media and talent to the point that it caused public unrest despite his having had similar issues in the past. Punk’s recounting of the original argument was said to be accurate.
The reaction of WWE talent was reportedly “all over the place.” One Superstar assumed Punk wouldn’t entertain questions about AEW before too long even though there is an NDA in place. Another WWE talent was relieved Punk went off this week, hoping that his comments would be ultimately be buried in the news cycle by WrestleMania weekend.
One AEW veteran said, “More than anything, what the interview showed was that this was preventable from all sides. Punk is happy, AEW talent moved on, so hopefully everyone just learns from it and makes amends in the future.”
There is a non-disparagement agreement between Punk and AEW, something the Second City Saint alluded to in his interview, though he declared it wasn’t for anything he did wrong.
The word within WWE until now has been positive toward Punk and people on the executive side did not believe he wanted to discuss AEW on Monday’s podcasy, but anticipated it would probably happen.
Punk reportedly isn’t likely to be on as heavy a media schedule this week as the rest of the roster as he is still recovering from his injury.
Additionally, no subsequent issues between Punk, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre have been heard about.
Punk also confirmed several reports in his interview, including his backstage visit to RAW last year before he was asked to leave.
Punk also confirmed that only lawyers, Triple H, AJ Lee, and Nick Khan knew about his return before it happened at Survivor Series 2023 and that the Punk references on WWE TV leading to the event happened before he had been contacted.
CM Punk, the former professional wrestler, recently appeared on Ariel Helwani’s “The MMA Hour” podcast to discuss his departure from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and his return to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The reactions to Punk’s comments from talent in both companies have been quite interesting.
According to a report from Fightful Select, the reactions from talent do not necessarily reflect the company they are signed to. Regarding the altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry (also known as Jungle Boy) at All In 2023, AEW talent stated that the issue was not solely about Punk’s refusal to use glass in a vignette taping at AEW Collision. Instead, it was more about Punk narrating the story to the media and other talent, which caused public unrest. Despite Punk having similar issues in the past, his recounting of the original argument was considered accurate.
On the other hand, the reaction from WWE talent was described as “all over the place.” One WWE Superstar assumed that Punk would eventually entertain questions about AEW, even though there is a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in place. Another WWE talent was relieved that Punk made controversial comments, hoping that they would be overshadowed by the upcoming WrestleMania weekend.
An AEW veteran commented on the situation, stating that it was preventable from all sides. They expressed hope that everyone involved would learn from it and make amends in the future.
It is worth noting that there is a non-disparagement agreement between CM Punk and AEW, which Punk alluded to in his interview. However, he made it clear that it was not because of anything he did wrong.
Until now, the word within WWE has been mostly positive towards Punk. People on the executive side did not believe he would discuss AEW on the podcast, but they anticipated that it might happen.
Due to his injury, Punk is not expected to have as heavy a media schedule as the rest of the roster this week. This gives him more time to recover.
Furthermore, there have been no subsequent issues reported between Punk, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre, who are all WWE Superstars.
In his interview, Punk confirmed several reports, including his backstage visit to RAW last year before being asked to leave. He also confirmed that only lawyers, Triple H, AJ Lee, and Nick Khan knew about his return to WWE before it happened at Survivor Series 2023. The references to Punk on WWE TV leading up to the event were made before he had been contacted.
Overall, CM Punk’s recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s podcast has generated various reactions from talent in AEW and WWE. The situation between Punk and AEW seems to have been preventable, and there is hope for amends in the future. Meanwhile, WWE talent has had mixed reactions, with some anticipating Punk’s comments and others hoping they would be overshadowed by WrestleMania weekend. Despite the controversy, Punk’s return to WWE has been mostly positively received within the company.