Look in my eyes – what do you see? Another CM Punk controversy. Ironically, in an industry built on people creating fake drama to keep the audience invested in the product, pro wrestling’s real-life tensions stir up the excitement even more. This week, wrestling websites, blogs, podcasts, and the wild internet wrestling community got caught up in the eye of another storm surrounding AEW’s Straight Edge Superstar.
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Of course, this is par for the course with Punk, since he has never been someone to err on the side of caution in his career. His wrestling personality has always been about someone who is anti-authority, brash, and speaks their mind – much like the man behind the persona, Phil Brooks. However, after the infamous “Brawl Out” incident in September 2022 where Punk and his former trainer and friend, Ace Steel, brawled with the Elite – allegedly – and he stayed off television until his return on AEW Collision in June 2023, many believed he would stay out of the headlines.
Much ado about nothing
The drama kicked off after CM Punk’s off-air promo about “Hangman” Adam Page after the August 12 episode of Collision. Punk made references to the toy racks being filled with Hangman’s action figures and the former AEW World Champion lacking the same drawing power as the Second City Saint. If there hadn’t been real-life tension between Page and Punk from last year’s debacle, not much would have been made about this promo because it was tamer than a leg-slapping superkick. Heck, MJF has said far worse about people on live television and no one bats an eyelid.
Yet, it still opened the floodgates for drama to wash in. Instead of verifying if this was an intentional potshot from Punk, “sources” sprinted to their favourite wrestling scoopers and leaked all the details about the evil Punk’s maniacal behaviour over the last two months. According to the news reports, Collision‘s dictator had locked the show in an anaconda vice and refused to let people work, while Punkamania ran wild, brother!
However, within a day, it was revealed that Punk had sent a text message to Hangman, apologising for how the promo came out on air and how it was interpreted. Punk recognised how it could be construed and tried to make amends for trying to work the crowd. It was too late, though, as all the axes needed to be grinded in the public forum now. Reports surfaced of people being sent home and Punk not allowing people to jump through glass for the sake of entertainment. How dare the fiend!
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Talking smack never ends well
There’s a saying in life: “F**k around and find out.” If you start something, don’t be surprised if it comes back to haunt you later on. After the infamous “Brawl Out,” several wrestling personalities took a stand on Social Media and through the media against CM Punk. They decided to draw the line in the sand and show their support for the Elite (the company’s EVPs and their friends) to their followers by insulting or laying all the blame on Punk for what had transpired. Most of them likely didn’t expect the former WWE champion to return to the company, hence the confidence in doing this. Now that Punk is back on TV, though, they expect it to be sunshine and rainbows, hoping he’ll forget the mean girl tactics and digital hands thrown at him for 10 months and the nonsense it caused in the internet wrestling community. This next phase is called the “find out” part, as they now see there are consequences for their actions – him confronting them, or not wanting to work with or allow them on Collision (a show he obviously has heavy influence in) is a direct result of what has been said or insinuated about him.
Take someone like Andrade El Idolo as an example. He refused to take a side in the AEW civil war, describing how he has nothing but good things to say about both parties. In a workplace setting, this is the right attitude, since it’s unlikely he’ll have all the details of what went down that led to the issues between Punk and the Elite. Instead, he is being an adult and saying, “Hey, you peeps sort out your nonsense, while I remain tranquilo over here.” And guess what? Andrade doesn’t have a problem showing up on Collision.
In fact, even Adam Cole and Sammy Guevara – two notable friends of the Elite – have shown up on Collision too. What do they have in common? They haven’t gone on a rampage against Punk on a public forum either. They understand they are there to work, and can hang with their pals afterwards and on the weekend.
The dynamics of company relationships
The reality is the situation between Punk and the Elite is complex with multiple factors at play. What everyone can agree on is that the “Brawl Out” incident was regrettable, including Punk’s scorched earth shoot at the press conference. It shouldn’t have happened nor should it ever be the way to resolve issues. The only people who should have a say in how it’s now resolved are the ones who were involved – including AEW head honcho Tony Khan – because it affected them. In fact, Punk’s dog, Larry, is better positioned at providing an opinion on this than the majority of the AEW locker room since he was there that night.
While it’s always good to support friends, it’s also important to understand the nature of what is said on social media – especially when people work together in a company. In any other company, if you post smack about a co-worker on social media, good luck with your future endeavours. It’s unprofessional and does more harm than good in any scenario. Sometimes, when situations have nothing to do with you, the best thing to say is nothing at all.
Make no mistake about it: Punk is also guilty of airing dirty laundry on social media too, which isn’t right. His position, though, is slightly different. Every day there seems to be another story or report maligning his character. After a while, he is bound to snap or retaliate. It doesn’t make it right, though. This is something that should be instilled in all talent, as they shouldn’t be taking their issues to journalists and social media. If there’s an internal problem, it should be dealt with internally.
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There’s a worrisome CM Punk agenda here
When CM Punk returned to Collision, there wasn’t any hope the show would be anything more than a Saturday night flop. Instead, the show has received a lot of praise for its cohesive storytelling and high-quality wrestling matches. It’s still a long way away from being deemed a monumental success, since the ratings have fluctuated in weeks; however, it is barely two-months old and doing incredibly well in this period.
More importantly, it’s helping to establish new stars for the company. “Absolute” Ricky Starks looks like a main event player now, having been put over by Punk himself, while the likes of Juice Robinson and Jay White are also being set up for major runs. Even Darby Allin looks like a different performer on Collision compared to the programmes he has on Dynamite.
What’s clear is that Collision is looking to build something. It’s letting high-calibre talent – who didn’t always get the chance before – shine and show they can be the next big thing for the company. Naturally, there’s now jealousy in the AEW locker room because of this. There are people who want those spots, and are bitter they aren’t being selected to be in those roles, believing they deserve it due to whom they are friends with.
Coupled with this, there’s jealousy toward Punk for being Punk. He is a bona fide superstar who has the ability to elevate others – and is willing to do so, judging by the rub he gave MJF and Starks. Just don’t expect him to do it to those who would rather whisper in corridors or to observers. So, what do they do? They will try to run him out of the company by putting the news out there that he’s a cancer and terrible to deal with.
CM Punk isn’t a perfect person, nor does he always make the right choices in difficult circumstances, but he’s far from the devil he has been painted out to be. In fact, everyone should be more worried about those who are trying to destroy another man’s character and reputation for their own gain and by any means necessary.
The Anti-CM Punk Bias Is Real – And It Needs to be Addressed Written by Sergio Pereira for Fortress of Solitude
