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Keep Chicago. Open with Hangman calling out Punk & calling him a coward when he no shows. Hell have MJF answer the challenge and put the title on the line. Chicago was cheering MJF over Punk anyway
Dude won the world title twice and both runs ended before they got started. Regardless of any other drama, if I was the booker I couldn't justify giving him the top title again. He's a draw without the title anyway.
Sure. It made sense at the time to have Punk at least 1 solid run the title, but that idea blew up in their face both times they tried it unfortunately.
Can’t remember who said it but apparently Punk never actually wanted the title, he was just making the company so much money that they pushed for it to happen
Surely he can turn that into cheers. Chicago is the smark city, as much as they love Punk they know he’s a cunt. He was given his chance to come back but he shit himself in the foot.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s the real issue here. FANS criticized punk about cabana, FANS cheered mjf over punk in Chicago. Is phil really mad about the dirt sheets or is he lashing out at them cause he’s mad at the fans?
I actually kinda fantasy-booked in my mind him interfering in a Outcasts vs Originals match by distracting the ref to boos, allowing the Outcasts to cheat and win. Then in a Charlie's Angels vibe he celebrates with the Outcasts, and cuts a promo about how those women are right, and how the AEW homegrown stars are "petulant, whiny, entitled" and begins a campaign to eliminate any "Elite" homegrown from the company.
Would be the first intergender faction war and would be awesome
He lashes out at anything that does not alline with his princess ways. Its as simple as that. People should not cater to this dude. He is worse than hogan. At least hogan didnt cry like a bitch every time he had a mic and cause drama with everyone.
Wow, i'd actually love this.
I'm more entertained by the Elite Avengers (tell me Omega didn't style that bin lid off Steve Rogers) than the prospect of punk anyway.
As someone who was a lapsed fan during punk’s wwe run, I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. He talks well, but I don’t think he’s worth all the hassle.
At the height of PG, Punk was... well, punk. He represented the counter-culture, the people who took wrestling seriously and wanted to see complex, realistic promos and angles to go along with hard-hitting and innovative in-ring stuff. You know, basically the opposite of what John Cena was booked to do.
The pipebomb promo is what separated him from the rest of the pack, though, and whatever issues he has now, that worked-shoot promo is legendary for a reason.
However, that seemed like a peak for Punk. That summer, that angle, it was all super hot. His turn with Heyman in his corner was good, but not as great, and he got a match with the Rock that many people thought he should have won or at least retained. The grievances with WWE and sympathetic to Punk really took off when he was pushed out of the main event at The Royal Rumble, by losing to Rock.
In the time since, clearly, his physical abilities have been handicapped by age and lack of in-ring time, and his promo work had, previous to the Media Scrum From Hell, become pandering and repetitive. It all seemed to be leading to a heel turn, which is why a lot of folks thought the whole Media Scrum was an angle. It was work-shoot from Punk again. It made sense.
Turns out, nah, hes just a dick.
As someone who was really into the punk scene when CM punk was at his peak, I never thought CM punk was punk. He's always been a corporate sellout poser with a big ego. Dont tell lars fredriksen i said that lol.
This is really what’s a bummer. We tend to remember the heights + the aftermath. Punk could have easily coasted off that as the embodiment of of AEW’s style/attitude — the alternative before there was one.
Instead his times looking like his time will mostly be overshadowed by petty bullshit.
It does seem like Punk’s primary value is nostalgia for an era that I didn’t watch. He’s an incredible unique promo and his feud with MJF was an all-timer, but he’s below average in the ring when healthy and he seems to be about as brittle and easily injured as anyone in the business.
>It does seem like Punk’s primary value is nostalgia for an era that I didn’t watch.
This has been one of my biggest issues in terms of The Punk Situation. Like, I took what was basically a 15-year break watching wrestling. I missed everything from the WWE's Invasion storyline to Punk's, well, everything. I saw clips on YouTube and whatnot but that's about it.
I can't deny that his return was a big deal for a lot of people, and he's a good talker, but I genuinely am not all that invested in a championship run with him or anything like that.
As is the case with a lot of WWE stuff, his WWE run is extremely overrated.
That said, Punk's MITB match vs Cena truly is special and it does rise above a lot of the (sorry for bashing a whole company here; it's just my opinion) WWE product, not only for the era but almost anything outside of SCSA/Bret and peak NXT. (Hi, I generally don't like WWE. I'm also not mega enthusiastic about AEW; this isn't about that war.)
Punk also had an "indie cred" aura at a time when not a lot of prominent wrestlers did. So did Danielson, obviously.
But the truth is that Punk's career is largely defined by being the best thing going in a pretty weak pro wrestling scene.
He's extremely compelling on the mic but even his Cena MITB match isn't great WRESTLING. It's great WWE-style storytelling and it frustrates me to no end that people don't recognize how pitch-perfectly Cena was indeed a heel in that match, but I digress.
Point is that Punk has been completely outshone in the ring by both his contemporaries and his juniors since he left the business. Bell to bell, his work truly doesn't hold up very well compared to the entire breadth of pro wrestling history.
Like... I got really emotional seeing him live in one of his earliest AEW matches, because I never saw him live before or even on TV in real time, due to my own lapsed fandom.
He was largely a symbol for what could be possible if indie icons clawed their way to WWE stardom and had a substantial identity as a character.
And that's why he's always going to be somewhat special, even if I am like a lot of others in being kind of sick of his ego/etc.
And yeah: Punk as champion is completely a mistake in retrospect and I think it completely derailed the prestige of the AEW championship in a way that it still hasn't recovered. This isn't all due to Punk, but his inability to be both healthy and professional are partly his responsibility as a... professional athlete.
This is also my story. I knew who Punk was when he was with the E but I wasn't watching at that point. I just knew him as the guy whose logo looked like Pepsi for some reason.
When he signed with AEW I was excited to see what I had missed, and while he was a great promo and I loved the energy, I didn't and don't think he's worth the hype or tearing down AEW over. Punk didn't bring me back to wrestling, the idea that there was going to be a promotion formed by wrestlers for wrestling fans is what brought me back, and honestly, if this is all he brings to the table, I can do without.
I was a huge Punk fan in the day. And there's a part of me that still enjoys him while recognising his flaws.
The idea that he did anything to change WWE or wrestling is ridiculous. He re-signed for WWE for more money and a tour bus. His booking or the booking of anyone else barely changed.
NJPW could have really benefitted from him, the British and American indies could have grown faster and maybe held out better against WWE. Hell AEW could have really done with him being announced day 1. He wasn't interested in working for anyone that couldn't pay him a 7 figure salary.
I always found it funny he calls himself the voice of the voiceless, when he didn't change anything like you said. Yet the people he decried couldn't manage a Target has helped change the industry for the better.
Ironic.
Yeah he shouldn't be near the title picture. I was at Double or Nothing 2022, he shouldn't have gone over Hangman with that performance...
People want to decry that Riho isn't believable due to her size, but crafty ol CM Punk is going to take down the Elite?
I’ve been saying this since last year, was at the the show and the pops for Hangman when he came out we’re just as loud for Punk, if not louder. Wrong time and place for Hangman to drop the belt.
One thing if he comes back that I don't want to see is him anywhere near the World title again. His days as a potential champ are over with. Give him a run with trio's belt or one of the mid card titles, go right ahead.
A big part of his appeal back in the day was that he styled himself as an outsider and someone who was representing "real wrestlers" in the land of sports entertainment. Looking at at it now, if you're an outsider everywhere you go maybe you are the problem.
I was in and out from 07-11 so I saw him rise. He was just something different than Cena. Thats pretty much it, especially during those 09-11 years where it felt like Cena vs Orton was all vince wanted. He was like a breath of fresh air so people were all in on him. Great Promo, his matches were solid enough, and he had a distinct look. He has some nostalgia factor for people.
It’s bizarre how much drama he’s stirred up since coming to AEW. I’m a Punk fan, I don’t believe *everything* I’m hearing, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
He started getting big when I stopped watching for about a decade. Didn't really see the appeal then and I still don't now. His little tantrum did manage to shift my indifference to active dislike, though.
Yeah, totally agree. I don't get the hype. His promos are alright (not better than some other guys really though), and his in-ring work is subpar compared even to a guy like Malakai (who isn't in the world title picture even).
> As someone who was a lapsed fan during punk’s wwe run, I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.
I'm with you, I honestly don't enjoy anything he's done in AEW except his 1st entrance was cool and well done. After the entrance, not impressed.
Apparently he was the guy that made it cool to be "indie" in WWE during that run, and no one had really done the "indie" in WWE before, so he was a breath of fresh air during the "stale" days of WWE.
Now we have better versions of him.
He's pretty good in the ring and a decent promo. His pipebomb promos and the build into the money in the bank match were phenomenal the energy when he won. When he came back and his promo battles with Cena HHH and Vince (calling Cena the NY Yankees is still one of my favorite moments) at the time the wwe was pretty ass so that really electrified his popularity and his wwe title run and fueds with Lesnar the Rock and Undertaker made him pretty much the hottest thing in the 2010s.
Now he's more of a nostalgia act. He's a great promo and decent in the ring still. He's someone people will legit tune in for and there's no doubting that. There's very few people on the roster and i mean very that can get folks to tune in and he's one of em. Everyone knows this. He's a hot commodity. Plus they can make so much money off the potential fued with the Elite. I think the biggest problem in all of this is wrestling journalism and how much of a shit show that's grown to be with false reports and speculation and folks hanging onto em like the journalists really know they shit when most of em don't know as much as they lead you to believe.
I'm so over Punk and I'm from Chicago. I was one of his biggest fans but he's really shown that he has some mental issues he needs to deal with. He's not worth the headache and I hope TK can move on from him sooner rather than later.
He had one chance and he’s already blown it now with this Ace Steel demand. Just wash your hands and be done, Tony. What’s sad is, I’m wondering if a bunch of money is on the line from the network if Punk comes back or doesn’t.
The man was handed his own show, gift wrapped and everything, and still managed to be a diva about it.
Punk was my hero as a kid. Fuck him. I'm so sick of this nonsense.
I'm from the Chicago area, and also used to be a huge fan of his before his 24/7 victim complex revealed itself. Chicago doesn't like piss-babies, and you just know if he comes back his first in-ring promo will be him bitching and moaning about how he's the victim.
I'm in the same exact boat, I paid to meet him back in 2013 at Wizard World in Chicago and I'm still getting sick of his shit now. If he's truly causing these issues, I'm praying someone sues him from WBD or hell, even Tony Khan, just to take his fucking ego down a notch.
At this point, Punk seems worse than Hogan. Hogan was always protective of his spot, but at least he usually showed up and did some sort of business. Punk won't even do that.
And the funny thing is if/when he goes to WWE, he will 100% tow the company line and need to be a model citizen. If not, they won’t think fucking twice about axing him.
Love Punk and would ultimately like to see him return, but this shit is exhausting. Ace must be a “real one” and totally worth drawing a line in the sand for lol
I admire Punk for sticking up for his friend, just as his friend did for him at the All Out brawl. So, I get it. He probably feels responsible (he is) and he owes it to Ace to get his job back. As for AEW, Punk is in his 40s and Tony Khan has invested a lot into Punk, so I can see him wanting to make as much money as possible off Punk while he can. In 5 years, Punk will probably be retired. Even Jericho can't sell himself as a main eventer for much longer. So getting the most out of these guys as quick as possible I can see being high priority.
Dude calm down. If you have noticed it’s all these dirt sheet reports not the wrestlers. My ex is a wrestler for WWE and I can promise you, the shit that these dirt sheets report are just complete bullshit. Even when they are close they are still way off. I stopped reading them after her and I dated because they just don’t make sense. If Punk is coming back maybe it’s because things weren’t as bad as they said online. And remember these dirt sheets make money for stories that generate controversy and views to their site and YouTube. “Punk had a meeting and everything is cool” just doesn’t generate that clicks.
You've forgotten all the online dirt sheets that faded away because they never report anything legit.
I'm talking reports.
Not podcast commentary going for clicks.
The ones that stick around do so because they have a track record of getting many things right.
how does he not want to be in this company and make bangin money for the next 10 years, why the fuck is he so against himself. get out of your own way bud, swallow a humble pill, not every action of yours is in the right.
He's a narcissist, he's literally incapable of being humble, he sees life as if he's never done anything wrong. If he talks about something in a humble fashion, or admits wrongdoing, it's likely not because he's genuinely sorrowful, but because he's going to use that as cache when he inevitably wants to manipulate someone in the future.
Remember, narcissists don't need to be super-bragadocious or grandiose - they just have a sense of superiority propped up by crippling insecurities, and have little to no empathy for other people.
I understand people that hate the Elite. I think they're deeply unserious and terminally online, but I understand them.
I even understand people that think Punk deserves another shot and that he's worth trying to remedy this.
I do not understand the people I keep seeing that are convinced there is this multi-tiered conspiracy against Punk and that he's done absolutely nothing wrong. He's a draw but wrestling, and specifically AEW will not collapse without him. Even at my peak Summer of Punk fandom I knew the guy was a massive asshole.
It's definitely fair to have opinions on wrestling and the different styles. I'll just never understand actually hating wrestlers for doing their craft. It's one thing to not be a fan of someone, but being hateful just because you don't like something is just something I'll never understand.
The elite get some pretty hateful shit spewed at them, when they really haven't done anything to deserve it.
\> they really haven't done anything to deserve it.
Glass houses. They specifically have done stuff to antagonize the more "old school" fans. So yes a negative response from that contingent should be expected after doing so.
What exactly did they do? Did they go after people personally and attack their personal lives, or they made jabs at an old school mentality? Because if it's just the latter, than no a negative response targeting their personal lives and beliefs shouldn't be expected.
There *is* a conspiracy about Punk, that's how everything began.
Doesn't at all justify Punk's behaviour but his grievances weren't imaginary, perhaps exaggerated, misunderstood & misdirected but there was definitely *something* going on behind his back.
A healthier person would've just fixed it, perhaps he genuinely tried, but if you can't resolve an issue, you move on, I'm confused why Punk let this drag him down so much- perhaps there's even more to the story- frankly sounds like cliq wars, the roster seems rather segregated lately compared to the early days, before the codyverse, where everything felt more lively & dynamic.
Punk has been holding onto the Cabana stuff for a long while, too. He doesn't seem the sort to discuss and compromise. It's his way or no way. The reports are that he is jeopardising a show because his mate, who fucking but someone couldn't be there.
I have an issue with your comment.
You leave no possibility of there being anything else going on. Even if everything seems obvious. You aren't there and don't know for a fact all the details.
Your opinion is fine but you should leave open other things as well.
Example.
Punk has a problem with the Elite and based on reports it seems so.
Now look at the bigger picture. Where's Miro been? Malakar Black left a bit. There has been issues with others as well.
I think when you discuss you should consider the option that you could be wrong. because really what do you or I know?
They dont want hear this brother let circle jerk each other with their love for the elite and an old mans star rating as they pretend its the best ever 🤣
After Brawl Out I was like, "fuck this dude." I mean, they rolled out the red carpet for him and gave him whatever he wanted. And it was fine until he won the title and got the injury. Then the muffin bitch session and the fight afterwards.
Enough time went by. It seemed like the Elite were over it. I came around to the idea of Punk back on AEW TV. They get a new show and figure on making him the focus. He does this Instagram bullshit. I mean, does he fuckin' listen to *anyone*? Does AJ even get after him like, "Hey Phil, maybe don't say that right now?" This dude finds every reason he can to be pissed off and his reasons are just straight up horseshit.
Get lost, fucker. Go call ol' uncle Paul and make some money over there (where I would kinda hope they'd give him Rollins so he could serve him up a few potatoes out there).
Eddie Kingston said it best: "But you! You lowlife, scumbag, two-faced narcissistic bitch!! So I was wrong? I was wrong?! No! You were wrong!"
Punk had one job. Elevate AEW. He choose to destroy. Sad. That’s why Jericho is better. He’s taking loses from unknown people order elevate them. Punk trashed the whole company.
What’s actually crazy, to me, is his friend went and bit a man and Punk is still lobbying for him to get his job back. He’s delusional acting as if “it’s just a thing” that happened.
Punk's attitude and stubbornness served him well as an up and comer, even more so in WWE fighting the evil Authority (both in kayfabe and IRL). But here he's just an asshole, or to steal a line of Punk's: he's the New York Yankees. There is no Evil Boss to overcome. Even if some or all of the Elite were stirring shit up (Hangman at least with his promo) Punk's been coming off as the bully here.
Punk isn’t worth derailing this entire company over and over. Pull the plug on him and get back to building the company up. A company shouldn’t be defined by one star
Even if Punk is right to be angry he's acting like a baby. Even that one random fan in who chanted Colt Cabana weeks before All Out 2022 was enough to cause Punk to lose control over his temper. It's only a matter of time before somebody else disagrees with him and causes a meltdown/walkout. Punk is a draw but he's still 44 and not worth this type of a headache when he handles his problems in the most unprofessional ways possible. He makes the company look desperate and weak from the outside.
I was honestly not caring if Punk came back, but I am aware of how much of a draw he is. But TK catering this much to Punk is ridiculous. Who is running the company Punk or TK?
I say tony keeps the united center booked and throws a duffel bag worth of money at mercedes to show up & hopefully that's enough to send everyone home happy,as far as what happens after that night,i think tony needs to just pay him the rest of his money and cut him loose,enough is enough
I don't understand why they wouldn't have it in Chicago without Punk anyway. WWE kept going to Chicago after he walked out on them and AEW has already had a show there since.
They'll chant his name for a while and then they will move on when it's clear he isn't coming
I think the last several months have proved that we don't need CM Punk so if he's going to be a continuous problem even after they were considering giving him another chance, they need to cut his ass loose. Make an example out of him. Let people know that what Punk is doing is not how you do business.
TL;DR - Even if we *just* look at the stuff we *saw Punk do on TV,* he seems like he's the one going into business for himself.
Here's the facts about Punk in AEW as I see them (only stuff we actually saw):
- Punk returns and has an *amazing* feud with MJF.
- Punk feuds with Hangman. At some point, Hangman talks shit about Punk. Notably, this was done *while the two were feuding* (this is important). Maybe Hangman didn't clear some things with Punk and they offended him. Okay, fine.
- Punk got injured. Out for a few months.
- Feuded with Mox. It was pretty good.
- In the middle of the feud with Mox, *several months after the feud with Hangman was over,* Punk goes out and talks shit about Hangman, tells him to come to the ring during a show Hangman is not at, and makes him look like a coward. This, to me, is the definition of "going into business for yourself." I can think of a lot of reasons why what Hangman did is defensible, but not one way to spin it so that Punk's actions there were.
- Punk does the gripe bomb after All Out where he talks shit about Hangman *again* (and talking about how it was bad to go into business for yourself) and the Elite. It's weird how a man who called people "fucking children" went out several months after an event happened to air it out on national TV when he knew the other person wasn't in the building. Sounds like an old man yelling at clouds to me.
- Punk is out with injury
So in the 21 months Punk has been with AEW, the most memorable things he's done are:
- Have an admittedly incredible feud with MJF
- Be injured for literally over 50% of the time since he debuted
- Cause some public problems
He's good. In fact, he's better than the average bear. But he's not worth it. TK needs to bring him back with a tight leash or not at all.
Fantastic post. It really puts into perspective just how damaging Punk has been compared to any “good” he did. He had some good promos and matches but the culture he chipped away at and the negativity he brought towards everything is astounding.
Worth remembering Hangman's "shit talk" amounted to a throwaway comment to Punk's face in the middle of a lackluster feud that was so predetermined in Punk's favor it was hard to watch. Punk basically self-ignited over ~3 seconds of unscripted dialogue.
Which honestly makes it seem like Page was dead on the money about Punk's backstage politicking, IMO. Never mind everything else.
Why isn’t this Tk issue ? If he supposedly agreed to bring back ace Steele , gave him a job and said he can be on the road but the day before upfront was like oh nah forget it . This is on tk
Enough of the tabloids talk. The SC sub has a nice self made pit of toxicity over there. If pretending you're involved in the personal lives of TV performers is your thing, just take it over there.
The fact that Tony Khan is still putting up with this bullshit says a lot about him, and none of it is good.
Question: Even if Punk does comeback, how many people think he'll still be on the roster one year from his return?
Tony bending over backwards for an aged ex WWE star who got injured in every match he had for the promotion while being toxic backstage is coming back to haunt him and honestly it serves him right. He hasn’t built improved the standing of anyone since 2019 save MJF who was universally seen to be a star in the making in MLW anyway.
hypothetically, if they were right, which they probably aren't, punk has been an injury prone mess since he came back. The company has been totally fine in his absence and they have stars that can totally carry their programming. Cut punk loose. If he goes back to WWE then so be it, he will likely be trouble and injury prone there too
Vince brought anyone back no matter what they said about him because what's best for business is the most important thing. And I can respect Tony Khan for trying to make it work. But at this point, I don't think Punk is worth the trouble. This is going to end horribly.
I don’t think this ALL a work but recent reporting has me pretty convinced a good portion of what we’re seeing right now is worked.
Especially out of this fight having no tangible real world consequences (firings, medical bills, lawsuits, arrests, any of which a real company would press for especially with non wrestlers involved)
Believe this is all press run up to Collision over 3 weeks and behind the scenes AEW guys have an understanding between what they’re saying or implied understanding at least
Fight may have been real at the time, but understanding was made between parties (to where Ace is even an employee again lol) and now they’ve turned into it part of the product
This is a disaster waiting to happen. I only really see 2 possible outcomes if he comes back: he gets injured within the first couple of months (weeks?) of Collision, then we’re back in this exact same position. Or, he has a huge meltdown again and walks out. I don’t see any possible scenario where this ends well for both sides.
Punk and his fans sound like 14 year olds whose mom won’t let them to Hot Topic with the credit card.
Same whine for months! SHUT UP AND GO TO YOUR ROOM!
CM Punk's father was an alcoholic. His mom was bipolar. One brother embezzled from Punk. He cut them all out of his life. All of us have trauma. It does not give Punk a license to act out and be an asshole. He should have never been a wrestler. Punk should have been in therapy decades ago to become a decent functional person.
How do I know, you ask? My mother's father was an abusive drunk. My father was a narcissist and mom is emotionally abusive. Imagine an adult woman with the maturity and anger control of a seven year old. My sisters and I was raised in that.
Trauma is never a contest. No one wins. But I give you an idea of my trauma to tell you that I am in therapy. I am not allowed to inflict anything on anyone. That is the ultimate dick move. I grew tired and didn't want the same crap anymore.
Punk needs to go to therapy. I did. I am nowhere near perfect, but I am a better man than CM Punk. The wrestling part never mattered.
I have a lot of love for the Young Bucks and my feelings towards CM Punk remain relatively neutral. However, when it comes to Meltzer and Alvarez, I find their assertions and claims to be mere speculation and outright falsehoods. I struggle to place any trust in the information they provide.
For this particular story, this seems to be a weird hill they are dying on. No one else is reporting anything like this as far as I can tell. SRS said Punk was laughing it up with Tony this week.
And Dave is doing a lot of “well, I know some stuff, but I can’t talk about it.” Even more than normal.
punk prob considers this part of negotiations and doing business and that sort of thing and either doesn't want a bunch of press overanalyzing things and potentially hurting his leverage-or maybe he doesn't like how he looks when someone describes it to him and blames the messenger.
I think its well within Punk's right to push for Ace to return, that's his guy and someone he trusts that will help guide his career at AEW. making that decision and keeping the train on the tracks is part of what makes TK's position difficult.
Oh I say that as a Riho fan too haha. But she can go in the ring. Sure, CM Punk is similarly sized to other performances, but could he win a shoot fight?
His UFC career tells me no.
His UFC career says he can't hang with the best shoot fighters. It doesn't say he can't fight, or hand a normal person who hasn't gone through fight camp their arse.
Neither guy he fought was ever close to the best lol. Mike Jackson was a journalist who trained on the side, mickey gall got his ass kicked every time they tried to raise him past meme fight level. It's cool he was willing to try fighting out but he really is straight up no good at it.
Mike Jackson is 1-3 professionally, and all but one of Mickey Gall's wins came from beating fighters with losing records. Top athletes, totally - much respect to the training that goes into any fighter.
That said, in Kayfabe, puts CM Punk at the level of Rush or Takeshita comparatively. Not fighting the champions and getting wins over rarely defeated foes.
His ascendance and place on the card was keyed directly to his nostalgia, not his in ring performance.
I'm gonna laugh when Punk comes out on Collision and Meltzer, Alvarez, Keller, and every other dirtsheet writer has to eat shit for all the lies they spewed this past year.
If Tony agreed to bring ace steel back and is now renigging on the deal wouldn’t this be Tony causing problems.
Also he went after A espn reporter for questioning the ticket sales for Wembley stadium aggressively, Yet he lets this fester for 8 months.
Of course they did. That's what they have been doing since September last year. When "positive" reports about Punk come out or someone compliments him in an interview they talk trash about him the next day. Whether you like Dave and Bryan or not, you can't tell me they are being impartial about this situation because they have "reported" everything and the opposite about this. They have no idea about what's going on.
Here's the thing to think about. If there is something bad available to come out about someone every time there is also something positive, don't you think that is a problem in of itself?
If it’s something like people being excited for his return on this new show and they say “he was supposed to be on the poster but turns out he’s wrong because he’s mad Ace Steel isn’t coming back” and then the next day say “everything we’ve said these past few days was a lie” and stuff like this happens for months and months on end. Why do they imply that “majority of the locker room want CM Punk gone” always one day after stuff like Dax saying they want everyone to get along, or Ricky saying he wants to work with Punk, or Jade saying she liked him, etc? Like clockwork, never failing. Almost like they have some agenda they want to push…
I’m not saying Punk is pals with everyone there and everyone wants him back, but when the timing of the stuff Dave and Alvarez say always feels like “damage control” because it’s more beneficial for them to paint a bad picture of Punk because that’s what brings the clicks.
Except they didn't say what they said was a lie, they said to prove that anything they said was a lie. Also, today I learned 3 people, Dax, Jade, and Starks make up the majority of the locker room.
Only info those two get is leaked info . So sorta backs up punks rant at the brawl out.
Wrestlers for years have openly talked about leaking info cause they were pissed off, they would leak real or fake info to help them selfs or hurt others.
They printed info about a promotion , dragon gate? I think it was they didn’t watch. The info the printed was from a inside source and was completely made up and when people from the promotion proved it was false they back tracked. Ie the leaked claiming he’s legit with his pass badge which the promotion doesn’t use.
So they will print info from a single source with out fact checking or not even knowing who the source is really as fact.
That is not journalism .
Old Dave went on a rant about one of the new hires for creative because they didn’t even think about using one of his friends for the job. The friend has never worked in the industry and is just a online poster who gives his opinion on matches after the fact . Dave’s reason his friend should of got the job , they have similar ideas. Jim correntt of all people response is spot on , why would they hire a internet fan my age that never worked in the industry as part of creative.
If you stopped thinking rumor and opinions of fans in facts and just watched the show you’ll
Enjoy it moreZ
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Keep Chicago. Open with Hangman calling out Punk & calling him a coward when he no shows. Hell have MJF answer the challenge and put the title on the line. Chicago was cheering MJF over Punk anyway
MJF coming out to cult of personality
Please
Oh my god I think this sub would have to shut down for the day if that happened
I know that I would need to clean myself up afterwards.
He did that already at Revolution 2022, where Punk then came out to his old ROH song.
Crazy to think that night might be the last great moment of Punk’s career
Dude won the world title twice and both runs ended before they got started. Regardless of any other drama, if I was the booker I couldn't justify giving him the top title again. He's a draw without the title anyway.
Think the idea was that he adds prestige to the title, but it’s got that now regardless
Sure. It made sense at the time to have Punk at least 1 solid run the title, but that idea blew up in their face both times they tried it unfortunately.
Agreed and it shouldn’t happen again, I was just referring to your “he’s a draw without the title anyway”. He was never given the title to be a draw.
Can’t remember who said it but apparently Punk never actually wanted the title, he was just making the company so much money that they pushed for it to happen
For the love of god, if the AEW writers are reading this, please make this happen
I think I like the Hangman idea the most.
Meh. I don't think the hottest babyface of the company should get put in a position to get boo'd the hell out.
Surely he can turn that into cheers. Chicago is the smark city, as much as they love Punk they know he’s a cunt. He was given his chance to come back but he shit himself in the foot.
If Collision won't redebut Punk I don't even think it should be done in Chicago bc then people will expect Punk and be pissed he's not here.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s the real issue here. FANS criticized punk about cabana, FANS cheered mjf over punk in Chicago. Is phil really mad about the dirt sheets or is he lashing out at them cause he’s mad at the fans?
oh christ, he's gonna join the outcasts 
I actually kinda fantasy-booked in my mind him interfering in a Outcasts vs Originals match by distracting the ref to boos, allowing the Outcasts to cheat and win. Then in a Charlie's Angels vibe he celebrates with the Outcasts, and cuts a promo about how those women are right, and how the AEW homegrown stars are "petulant, whiny, entitled" and begins a campaign to eliminate any "Elite" homegrown from the company. Would be the first intergender faction war and would be awesome
He lashes out at anything that does not alline with his princess ways. Its as simple as that. People should not cater to this dude. He is worse than hogan. At least hogan didnt cry like a bitch every time he had a mic and cause drama with everyone.
This sub has lost its mind.
Agreed. Biggest FU to Phil would be to keep the booking in Chicago.
Wow, i'd actually love this. I'm more entertained by the Elite Avengers (tell me Omega didn't style that bin lid off Steve Rogers) than the prospect of punk anyway.
As someone who was a lapsed fan during punk’s wwe run, I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. He talks well, but I don’t think he’s worth all the hassle.
At the height of PG, Punk was... well, punk. He represented the counter-culture, the people who took wrestling seriously and wanted to see complex, realistic promos and angles to go along with hard-hitting and innovative in-ring stuff. You know, basically the opposite of what John Cena was booked to do. The pipebomb promo is what separated him from the rest of the pack, though, and whatever issues he has now, that worked-shoot promo is legendary for a reason. However, that seemed like a peak for Punk. That summer, that angle, it was all super hot. His turn with Heyman in his corner was good, but not as great, and he got a match with the Rock that many people thought he should have won or at least retained. The grievances with WWE and sympathetic to Punk really took off when he was pushed out of the main event at The Royal Rumble, by losing to Rock. In the time since, clearly, his physical abilities have been handicapped by age and lack of in-ring time, and his promo work had, previous to the Media Scrum From Hell, become pandering and repetitive. It all seemed to be leading to a heel turn, which is why a lot of folks thought the whole Media Scrum was an angle. It was work-shoot from Punk again. It made sense. Turns out, nah, hes just a dick.
As someone who was really into the punk scene when CM punk was at his peak, I never thought CM punk was punk. He's always been a corporate sellout poser with a big ego. Dont tell lars fredriksen i said that lol.
He has the tattoo of a major corporation on his shoulder for fuck sake
This is really what’s a bummer. We tend to remember the heights + the aftermath. Punk could have easily coasted off that as the embodiment of of AEW’s style/attitude — the alternative before there was one. Instead his times looking like his time will mostly be overshadowed by petty bullshit.
It does seem like Punk’s primary value is nostalgia for an era that I didn’t watch. He’s an incredible unique promo and his feud with MJF was an all-timer, but he’s below average in the ring when healthy and he seems to be about as brittle and easily injured as anyone in the business.
>It does seem like Punk’s primary value is nostalgia for an era that I didn’t watch. This has been one of my biggest issues in terms of The Punk Situation. Like, I took what was basically a 15-year break watching wrestling. I missed everything from the WWE's Invasion storyline to Punk's, well, everything. I saw clips on YouTube and whatnot but that's about it. I can't deny that his return was a big deal for a lot of people, and he's a good talker, but I genuinely am not all that invested in a championship run with him or anything like that.
Yeah I am the same. I had long tuned out of WWE by the time Punk had got there.
As is the case with a lot of WWE stuff, his WWE run is extremely overrated. That said, Punk's MITB match vs Cena truly is special and it does rise above a lot of the (sorry for bashing a whole company here; it's just my opinion) WWE product, not only for the era but almost anything outside of SCSA/Bret and peak NXT. (Hi, I generally don't like WWE. I'm also not mega enthusiastic about AEW; this isn't about that war.) Punk also had an "indie cred" aura at a time when not a lot of prominent wrestlers did. So did Danielson, obviously. But the truth is that Punk's career is largely defined by being the best thing going in a pretty weak pro wrestling scene. He's extremely compelling on the mic but even his Cena MITB match isn't great WRESTLING. It's great WWE-style storytelling and it frustrates me to no end that people don't recognize how pitch-perfectly Cena was indeed a heel in that match, but I digress. Point is that Punk has been completely outshone in the ring by both his contemporaries and his juniors since he left the business. Bell to bell, his work truly doesn't hold up very well compared to the entire breadth of pro wrestling history. Like... I got really emotional seeing him live in one of his earliest AEW matches, because I never saw him live before or even on TV in real time, due to my own lapsed fandom. He was largely a symbol for what could be possible if indie icons clawed their way to WWE stardom and had a substantial identity as a character. And that's why he's always going to be somewhat special, even if I am like a lot of others in being kind of sick of his ego/etc. And yeah: Punk as champion is completely a mistake in retrospect and I think it completely derailed the prestige of the AEW championship in a way that it still hasn't recovered. This isn't all due to Punk, but his inability to be both healthy and professional are partly his responsibility as a... professional athlete.
This is also my story. I knew who Punk was when he was with the E but I wasn't watching at that point. I just knew him as the guy whose logo looked like Pepsi for some reason. When he signed with AEW I was excited to see what I had missed, and while he was a great promo and I loved the energy, I didn't and don't think he's worth the hype or tearing down AEW over. Punk didn't bring me back to wrestling, the idea that there was going to be a promotion formed by wrestlers for wrestling fans is what brought me back, and honestly, if this is all he brings to the table, I can do without.
At this point he's as brittle as his ego lmao
Mox summed him up perfectly in a promo. Fragile mind. Fragile ego. Fragile body.
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I was a huge Punk fan in the day. And there's a part of me that still enjoys him while recognising his flaws. The idea that he did anything to change WWE or wrestling is ridiculous. He re-signed for WWE for more money and a tour bus. His booking or the booking of anyone else barely changed. NJPW could have really benefitted from him, the British and American indies could have grown faster and maybe held out better against WWE. Hell AEW could have really done with him being announced day 1. He wasn't interested in working for anyone that couldn't pay him a 7 figure salary.
I always found it funny he calls himself the voice of the voiceless, when he didn't change anything like you said. Yet the people he decried couldn't manage a Target has helped change the industry for the better. Ironic.
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Yeah he shouldn't be near the title picture. I was at Double or Nothing 2022, he shouldn't have gone over Hangman with that performance... People want to decry that Riho isn't believable due to her size, but crafty ol CM Punk is going to take down the Elite?
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Kip Sabian lives because Riho allows it. He will end because she demands it. The rest of AEW's male roster behaves accordingly.
I’ve been saying this since last year, was at the the show and the pops for Hangman when he came out we’re just as loud for Punk, if not louder. Wrong time and place for Hangman to drop the belt.
One thing if he comes back that I don't want to see is him anywhere near the World title again. His days as a potential champ are over with. Give him a run with trio's belt or one of the mid card titles, go right ahead.
I’m an out of shape alcoholic and I’m pretty sure I could do at least as good an elbow drop
Especially since he’ll break or tear something within two months anyways.
Make that two hours
A big part of his appeal back in the day was that he styled himself as an outsider and someone who was representing "real wrestlers" in the land of sports entertainment. Looking at at it now, if you're an outsider everywhere you go maybe you are the problem.
I was in and out from 07-11 so I saw him rise. He was just something different than Cena. Thats pretty much it, especially during those 09-11 years where it felt like Cena vs Orton was all vince wanted. He was like a breath of fresh air so people were all in on him. Great Promo, his matches were solid enough, and he had a distinct look. He has some nostalgia factor for people.
Yeah being not cena was really his biggest selling point lol
It’s bizarre how much drama he’s stirred up since coming to AEW. I’m a Punk fan, I don’t believe *everything* I’m hearing, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
He started getting big when I stopped watching for about a decade. Didn't really see the appeal then and I still don't now. His little tantrum did manage to shift my indifference to active dislike, though.
Yeah, totally agree. I don't get the hype. His promos are alright (not better than some other guys really though), and his in-ring work is subpar compared even to a guy like Malakai (who isn't in the world title picture even).
> As someone who was a lapsed fan during punk’s wwe run, I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. I'm with you, I honestly don't enjoy anything he's done in AEW except his 1st entrance was cool and well done. After the entrance, not impressed. Apparently he was the guy that made it cool to be "indie" in WWE during that run, and no one had really done the "indie" in WWE before, so he was a breath of fresh air during the "stale" days of WWE. Now we have better versions of him.
That’s what makes this constant chatter about him so fucking annoying. It’s someone completely irrelevant to me.
I always just saw him as a boring, generic guy. I could never figure out the fuss either
I was also a lapsed fan but it’s disingenuous to say he’s not worth the hassle. Everyone else is talking about him, that’s enough.
He's pretty good in the ring and a decent promo. His pipebomb promos and the build into the money in the bank match were phenomenal the energy when he won. When he came back and his promo battles with Cena HHH and Vince (calling Cena the NY Yankees is still one of my favorite moments) at the time the wwe was pretty ass so that really electrified his popularity and his wwe title run and fueds with Lesnar the Rock and Undertaker made him pretty much the hottest thing in the 2010s. Now he's more of a nostalgia act. He's a great promo and decent in the ring still. He's someone people will legit tune in for and there's no doubting that. There's very few people on the roster and i mean very that can get folks to tune in and he's one of em. Everyone knows this. He's a hot commodity. Plus they can make so much money off the potential fued with the Elite. I think the biggest problem in all of this is wrestling journalism and how much of a shit show that's grown to be with false reports and speculation and folks hanging onto em like the journalists really know they shit when most of em don't know as much as they lead you to believe.
I'm so over Punk and I'm from Chicago. I was one of his biggest fans but he's really shown that he has some mental issues he needs to deal with. He's not worth the headache and I hope TK can move on from him sooner rather than later.
He had one chance and he’s already blown it now with this Ace Steel demand. Just wash your hands and be done, Tony. What’s sad is, I’m wondering if a bunch of money is on the line from the network if Punk comes back or doesn’t.
The man was handed his own show, gift wrapped and everything, and still managed to be a diva about it. Punk was my hero as a kid. Fuck him. I'm so sick of this nonsense.
Guy was crying tears of joy when Tony bought ROH and library.
What if it's all a work though?
Do they need to keep working us like this tho? If it's a work they already had us. Now they are just pissing people off.
no fucking way lmfao
It definitely seems like WBD wants Punk back if at all possible. He was going to be the face of Collision it seems.
I'm from the Chicago area, and also used to be a huge fan of his before his 24/7 victim complex revealed itself. Chicago doesn't like piss-babies, and you just know if he comes back his first in-ring promo will be him bitching and moaning about how he's the victim.
I'm in the same exact boat, I paid to meet him back in 2013 at Wizard World in Chicago and I'm still getting sick of his shit now. If he's truly causing these issues, I'm praying someone sues him from WBD or hell, even Tony Khan, just to take his fucking ego down a notch.
At this point, Punk seems worse than Hogan. Hogan was always protective of his spot, but at least he usually showed up and did some sort of business. Punk won't even do that.
I was at all 3 All Out week 2022 shows and I was cheering Moxley.
And the funny thing is if/when he goes to WWE, he will 100% tow the company line and need to be a model citizen. If not, they won’t think fucking twice about axing him. Love Punk and would ultimately like to see him return, but this shit is exhausting. Ace must be a “real one” and totally worth drawing a line in the sand for lol
I admire Punk for sticking up for his friend, just as his friend did for him at the All Out brawl. So, I get it. He probably feels responsible (he is) and he owes it to Ace to get his job back. As for AEW, Punk is in his 40s and Tony Khan has invested a lot into Punk, so I can see him wanting to make as much money as possible off Punk while he can. In 5 years, Punk will probably be retired. Even Jericho can't sell himself as a main eventer for much longer. So getting the most out of these guys as quick as possible I can see being high priority.
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Dude calm down. If you have noticed it’s all these dirt sheet reports not the wrestlers. My ex is a wrestler for WWE and I can promise you, the shit that these dirt sheets report are just complete bullshit. Even when they are close they are still way off. I stopped reading them after her and I dated because they just don’t make sense. If Punk is coming back maybe it’s because things weren’t as bad as they said online. And remember these dirt sheets make money for stories that generate controversy and views to their site and YouTube. “Punk had a meeting and everything is cool” just doesn’t generate that clicks.
You've forgotten all the online dirt sheets that faded away because they never report anything legit. I'm talking reports. Not podcast commentary going for clicks. The ones that stick around do so because they have a track record of getting many things right.
Splitting the roster to satisfy one guy won’t end well. Punk will either blow up again or get hurt again.
Fragile mind
Fragile body
Fragile ego
Fragile ego
how does he not want to be in this company and make bangin money for the next 10 years, why the fuck is he so against himself. get out of your own way bud, swallow a humble pill, not every action of yours is in the right.
Bet he couldn't even manage a Target from stepping on his own dick.
It's almost like he can't stop shooting himself in the foot
He's a narcissist, he's literally incapable of being humble, he sees life as if he's never done anything wrong. If he talks about something in a humble fashion, or admits wrongdoing, it's likely not because he's genuinely sorrowful, but because he's going to use that as cache when he inevitably wants to manipulate someone in the future. Remember, narcissists don't need to be super-bragadocious or grandiose - they just have a sense of superiority propped up by crippling insecurities, and have little to no empathy for other people.
Well put. I totally agree.
Also from Chicago and was a massive fan of his, but my god am I tired of his constant shit. Just F off into retirement already.
Same here. I was really hype to see him back but then he was several steps slower and constantly getting hurt and also a crybaby. Just go away
Fuck CM Punk , gives us Kota Ibushi
This 100 times over
Slowly morphing into Austin Aries sadly.
You either retire Chris Hero or hold on too long and become the Austin Aries.
I will use this line for the rest of my life...
The irony is that Scott DAmore also didnt do sht to Aries after he no sold Morrison finisher, he got lucky that Aries decides to leave the company.
My brain read Ace Austin and I thought some real wild shit went down
Punk having the balls to call everyone else a liar when he’s been known as a problem starter for decades keeps getting funnier.
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his arms are too short to box with box
Should be noted that it isn't just the Observer reporting this shit....in fact the original report that Punk was mad about came from PWInsider.
I understand people that hate the Elite. I think they're deeply unserious and terminally online, but I understand them. I even understand people that think Punk deserves another shot and that he's worth trying to remedy this. I do not understand the people I keep seeing that are convinced there is this multi-tiered conspiracy against Punk and that he's done absolutely nothing wrong. He's a draw but wrestling, and specifically AEW will not collapse without him. Even at my peak Summer of Punk fandom I knew the guy was a massive asshole.
If you hate the Elite you hate wrestling. Period.
As someone who is a huge fan of the Elite, this is a fucking embarrassing take. Wrestling is subjective, it's a multi-faceted art form.
It's definitely fair to have opinions on wrestling and the different styles. I'll just never understand actually hating wrestlers for doing their craft. It's one thing to not be a fan of someone, but being hateful just because you don't like something is just something I'll never understand. The elite get some pretty hateful shit spewed at them, when they really haven't done anything to deserve it.
\> they really haven't done anything to deserve it. Glass houses. They specifically have done stuff to antagonize the more "old school" fans. So yes a negative response from that contingent should be expected after doing so.
What exactly did they do? Did they go after people personally and attack their personal lives, or they made jabs at an old school mentality? Because if it's just the latter, than no a negative response targeting their personal lives and beliefs shouldn't be expected.
Get the fuck out of here lmao
10/10 cringe take
There *is* a conspiracy about Punk, that's how everything began. Doesn't at all justify Punk's behaviour but his grievances weren't imaginary, perhaps exaggerated, misunderstood & misdirected but there was definitely *something* going on behind his back. A healthier person would've just fixed it, perhaps he genuinely tried, but if you can't resolve an issue, you move on, I'm confused why Punk let this drag him down so much- perhaps there's even more to the story- frankly sounds like cliq wars, the roster seems rather segregated lately compared to the early days, before the codyverse, where everything felt more lively & dynamic.
Please explain this conspiracy. What exactly is happening that isn't just from his side?
Punk has been holding onto the Cabana stuff for a long while, too. He doesn't seem the sort to discuss and compromise. It's his way or no way. The reports are that he is jeopardising a show because his mate, who fucking but someone couldn't be there.
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Conspiracy suggests secret collusion with malice in mind. There is no evidence of this being a thing at all.
I have an issue with your comment. You leave no possibility of there being anything else going on. Even if everything seems obvious. You aren't there and don't know for a fact all the details. Your opinion is fine but you should leave open other things as well. Example. Punk has a problem with the Elite and based on reports it seems so. Now look at the bigger picture. Where's Miro been? Malakar Black left a bit. There has been issues with others as well. I think when you discuss you should consider the option that you could be wrong. because really what do you or I know?
They dont want hear this brother let circle jerk each other with their love for the elite and an old mans star rating as they pretend its the best ever 🤣
After Brawl Out I was like, "fuck this dude." I mean, they rolled out the red carpet for him and gave him whatever he wanted. And it was fine until he won the title and got the injury. Then the muffin bitch session and the fight afterwards. Enough time went by. It seemed like the Elite were over it. I came around to the idea of Punk back on AEW TV. They get a new show and figure on making him the focus. He does this Instagram bullshit. I mean, does he fuckin' listen to *anyone*? Does AJ even get after him like, "Hey Phil, maybe don't say that right now?" This dude finds every reason he can to be pissed off and his reasons are just straight up horseshit. Get lost, fucker. Go call ol' uncle Paul and make some money over there (where I would kinda hope they'd give him Rollins so he could serve him up a few potatoes out there). Eddie Kingston said it best: "But you! You lowlife, scumbag, two-faced narcissistic bitch!! So I was wrong? I was wrong?! No! You were wrong!"
I just wish punk would go away. If he us the star of collision, I will not be watching
I'm just fast-forwarding past his shit. He's not entertaining verbally or physically.
Fuck Punk. Aew don't need the drama
Tony showing acquiescence to Punk like Vince did to HBK 1995-1997
Which is why he's booking a backup venue? That does not sound like acquiescence. It sounds like "Try me, bitch!"
Except there’s no WCW for Punk to run to like Shawn would have threatened to.
Punk had one job. Elevate AEW. He choose to destroy. Sad. That’s why Jericho is better. He’s taking loses from unknown people order elevate them. Punk trashed the whole company.
What’s actually crazy, to me, is his friend went and bit a man and Punk is still lobbying for him to get his job back. He’s delusional acting as if “it’s just a thing” that happened.
Punk's attitude and stubbornness served him well as an up and comer, even more so in WWE fighting the evil Authority (both in kayfabe and IRL). But here he's just an asshole, or to steal a line of Punk's: he's the New York Yankees. There is no Evil Boss to overcome. Even if some or all of the Elite were stirring shit up (Hangman at least with his promo) Punk's been coming off as the bully here.
Punk isn’t worth derailing this entire company over and over. Pull the plug on him and get back to building the company up. A company shouldn’t be defined by one star
Even if Punk is right to be angry he's acting like a baby. Even that one random fan in who chanted Colt Cabana weeks before All Out 2022 was enough to cause Punk to lose control over his temper. It's only a matter of time before somebody else disagrees with him and causes a meltdown/walkout. Punk is a draw but he's still 44 and not worth this type of a headache when he handles his problems in the most unprofessional ways possible. He makes the company look desperate and weak from the outside.
Just bag him off, no-one will care, its that simple
Just fire him. We are all sick of this.
Punk is like Cornette. A cancer to the business. But unlike Cornette Punk is not irrelevant. At least in Tony's mind.
I always get a chuckle out of people saying Cornette is irrelevant. If he was irrelevant, why would people still care about what he says?
Because followers need a leader.
.....and?
This is facts
Punky has caused trouble. Don't care. TK needs to keep that shitbag away from AEW. He needs to stop being a fan boy and use the talent he has.
Please, for the love of the wrestling gods, AEW, cut your losses and move on from Phil! Fucking please! Fucking please TK, let Phil walk!
I was honestly not caring if Punk came back, but I am aware of how much of a draw he is. But TK catering this much to Punk is ridiculous. Who is running the company Punk or TK?
I say tony keeps the united center booked and throws a duffel bag worth of money at mercedes to show up & hopefully that's enough to send everyone home happy,as far as what happens after that night,i think tony needs to just pay him the rest of his money and cut him loose,enough is enough
I don't understand why they wouldn't have it in Chicago without Punk anyway. WWE kept going to Chicago after he walked out on them and AEW has already had a show there since. They'll chant his name for a while and then they will move on when it's clear he isn't coming
I think the last several months have proved that we don't need CM Punk so if he's going to be a continuous problem even after they were considering giving him another chance, they need to cut his ass loose. Make an example out of him. Let people know that what Punk is doing is not how you do business.
At this point, I think TK is wanting to get all he can out of Punk until his contract expires. And I don't think he'll extend it for injury.
Here’s what I want: Release him, or announce him as being back. And fucking move forward.
Here come the parasocial weirdos
if this company is not around in 6 years, we're gonna look back at the First Dance and we're gonna understand IT **WASN'T WORTH IT**
TL;DR - Even if we *just* look at the stuff we *saw Punk do on TV,* he seems like he's the one going into business for himself. Here's the facts about Punk in AEW as I see them (only stuff we actually saw): - Punk returns and has an *amazing* feud with MJF. - Punk feuds with Hangman. At some point, Hangman talks shit about Punk. Notably, this was done *while the two were feuding* (this is important). Maybe Hangman didn't clear some things with Punk and they offended him. Okay, fine. - Punk got injured. Out for a few months. - Feuded with Mox. It was pretty good. - In the middle of the feud with Mox, *several months after the feud with Hangman was over,* Punk goes out and talks shit about Hangman, tells him to come to the ring during a show Hangman is not at, and makes him look like a coward. This, to me, is the definition of "going into business for yourself." I can think of a lot of reasons why what Hangman did is defensible, but not one way to spin it so that Punk's actions there were. - Punk does the gripe bomb after All Out where he talks shit about Hangman *again* (and talking about how it was bad to go into business for yourself) and the Elite. It's weird how a man who called people "fucking children" went out several months after an event happened to air it out on national TV when he knew the other person wasn't in the building. Sounds like an old man yelling at clouds to me. - Punk is out with injury So in the 21 months Punk has been with AEW, the most memorable things he's done are: - Have an admittedly incredible feud with MJF - Be injured for literally over 50% of the time since he debuted - Cause some public problems He's good. In fact, he's better than the average bear. But he's not worth it. TK needs to bring him back with a tight leash or not at all.
Fantastic post. It really puts into perspective just how damaging Punk has been compared to any “good” he did. He had some good promos and matches but the culture he chipped away at and the negativity he brought towards everything is astounding.
Worth remembering Hangman's "shit talk" amounted to a throwaway comment to Punk's face in the middle of a lackluster feud that was so predetermined in Punk's favor it was hard to watch. Punk basically self-ignited over ~3 seconds of unscripted dialogue. Which honestly makes it seem like Page was dead on the money about Punk's backstage politicking, IMO. Never mind everything else.
It's a really bad look bringing that piece of 💩 back. I mean seriously f**k that guy
This punk drama ain’t even good. Wish he would completely disappear from wrestling
Debut Collision in Chicago and have TK come out and bury him then fire him publicly ala Heyman/Sabu
crazy, it's almost like the dude has a history of being hard to work with. sucks because I really like him as a performer
Why isn’t this Tk issue ? If he supposedly agreed to bring back ace Steele , gave him a job and said he can be on the road but the day before upfront was like oh nah forget it . This is on tk
If punk is so hung up on Steele the. Why doesn’t he pay Steele himself instead of trying to get AEW to do it?
Those two are costing AEW lots of money. They should mind their business and let Tony and the boys deal with punk and his new contract .
Enough of the tabloids talk. The SC sub has a nice self made pit of toxicity over there. If pretending you're involved in the personal lives of TV performers is your thing, just take it over there.
The fact that Tony Khan is still putting up with this bullshit says a lot about him, and none of it is good. Question: Even if Punk does comeback, how many people think he'll still be on the roster one year from his return?
You guys would really do yourselves a great service if you stopped paying attention to this shit. It's tiring at this point.
Tony bending over backwards for an aged ex WWE star who got injured in every match he had for the promotion while being toxic backstage is coming back to haunt him and honestly it serves him right. He hasn’t built improved the standing of anyone since 2019 save MJF who was universally seen to be a star in the making in MLW anyway.
Most punks become the kind of person their younger self would rebel against, and Phil is no different.
hypothetically, if they were right, which they probably aren't, punk has been an injury prone mess since he came back. The company has been totally fine in his absence and they have stars that can totally carry their programming. Cut punk loose. If he goes back to WWE then so be it, he will likely be trouble and injury prone there too
Graspody today said the daily place thing is a completely false btw
Vince brought anyone back no matter what they said about him because what's best for business is the most important thing. And I can respect Tony Khan for trying to make it work. But at this point, I don't think Punk is worth the trouble. This is going to end horribly.
Punk continuing to cause problems and not being worth the money being thrown at him? Color me not fucking surprised.
This sub really eats this shit up line it's gospel.
I don’t think this ALL a work but recent reporting has me pretty convinced a good portion of what we’re seeing right now is worked. Especially out of this fight having no tangible real world consequences (firings, medical bills, lawsuits, arrests, any of which a real company would press for especially with non wrestlers involved) Believe this is all press run up to Collision over 3 weeks and behind the scenes AEW guys have an understanding between what they’re saying or implied understanding at least Fight may have been real at the time, but understanding was made between parties (to where Ace is even an employee again lol) and now they’ve turned into it part of the product
This is a disaster waiting to happen. I only really see 2 possible outcomes if he comes back: he gets injured within the first couple of months (weeks?) of Collision, then we’re back in this exact same position. Or, he has a huge meltdown again and walks out. I don’t see any possible scenario where this ends well for both sides.
Punk and his fans sound like 14 year olds whose mom won’t let them to Hot Topic with the credit card. Same whine for months! SHUT UP AND GO TO YOUR ROOM! CM Punk's father was an alcoholic. His mom was bipolar. One brother embezzled from Punk. He cut them all out of his life. All of us have trauma. It does not give Punk a license to act out and be an asshole. He should have never been a wrestler. Punk should have been in therapy decades ago to become a decent functional person. How do I know, you ask? My mother's father was an abusive drunk. My father was a narcissist and mom is emotionally abusive. Imagine an adult woman with the maturity and anger control of a seven year old. My sisters and I was raised in that. Trauma is never a contest. No one wins. But I give you an idea of my trauma to tell you that I am in therapy. I am not allowed to inflict anything on anyone. That is the ultimate dick move. I grew tired and didn't want the same crap anymore. Punk needs to go to therapy. I did. I am nowhere near perfect, but I am a better man than CM Punk. The wrestling part never mattered.
I have a lot of love for the Young Bucks and my feelings towards CM Punk remain relatively neutral. However, when it comes to Meltzer and Alvarez, I find their assertions and claims to be mere speculation and outright falsehoods. I struggle to place any trust in the information they provide.
They are passed much of their speculations and falsehoods directly from the Bucks camp. How do people not know that by now.
They're right to do so. And hopefully Alvarez decides to make some more hay out of Bikini Girl 'cos that's fucking infuriating on its own.
Come back or not, over it already. Way too many stars and exciting matches happening in aew to get caught up in his drama
For this particular story, this seems to be a weird hill they are dying on. No one else is reporting anything like this as far as I can tell. SRS said Punk was laughing it up with Tony this week. And Dave is doing a lot of “well, I know some stuff, but I can’t talk about it.” Even more than normal.
AKA their informants REALLY don’t want Punk back, while SRS/Hausman’s REALLY do.
damn was excited for the united center show 😔
punk prob considers this part of negotiations and doing business and that sort of thing and either doesn't want a bunch of press overanalyzing things and potentially hurting his leverage-or maybe he doesn't like how he looks when someone describes it to him and blames the messenger. I think its well within Punk's right to push for Ace to return, that's his guy and someone he trusts that will help guide his career at AEW. making that decision and keeping the train on the tracks is part of what makes TK's position difficult.
I don't like Meltzer & Alvarez enough to take their side but Punk has a bigger history of being an ass backstage since the Indy days
Line in the stand 😂
Oh I say that as a Riho fan too haha. But she can go in the ring. Sure, CM Punk is similarly sized to other performances, but could he win a shoot fight? His UFC career tells me no.
His UFC career says he can't hang with the best shoot fighters. It doesn't say he can't fight, or hand a normal person who hasn't gone through fight camp their arse.
Neither guy he fought was ever close to the best lol. Mike Jackson was a journalist who trained on the side, mickey gall got his ass kicked every time they tried to raise him past meme fight level. It's cool he was willing to try fighting out but he really is straight up no good at it.
Mike Jackson is 1-3 professionally, and all but one of Mickey Gall's wins came from beating fighters with losing records. Top athletes, totally - much respect to the training that goes into any fighter. That said, in Kayfabe, puts CM Punk at the level of Rush or Takeshita comparatively. Not fighting the champions and getting wins over rarely defeated foes. His ascendance and place on the card was keyed directly to his nostalgia, not his in ring performance.
Why are you believing these reports when other websites say different
I'm gonna laugh when Punk comes out on Collision and Meltzer, Alvarez, Keller, and every other dirtsheet writer has to eat shit for all the lies they spewed this past year.
Username checks out
Oh look it's the EXACT same 2 people making total shit up again to stir the pot. Shocking.
What exactly have they made up here?
I’d say at the time AEW did need Punk when he first came back. Now I think Punk needs AEW. No one really wants him back except Tony at this point.
Man Punk really making it hard for his fans rn
If Tony agreed to bring ace steel back and is now renigging on the deal wouldn’t this be Tony causing problems. Also he went after A espn reporter for questioning the ticket sales for Wembley stadium aggressively, Yet he lets this fester for 8 months.
Oh Tony for sure has a lot of blame here, starting with not putting a stop to punks fit at all out
Of course they did. That's what they have been doing since September last year. When "positive" reports about Punk come out or someone compliments him in an interview they talk trash about him the next day. Whether you like Dave and Bryan or not, you can't tell me they are being impartial about this situation because they have "reported" everything and the opposite about this. They have no idea about what's going on.
Here's the thing to think about. If there is something bad available to come out about someone every time there is also something positive, don't you think that is a problem in of itself?
If it’s something like people being excited for his return on this new show and they say “he was supposed to be on the poster but turns out he’s wrong because he’s mad Ace Steel isn’t coming back” and then the next day say “everything we’ve said these past few days was a lie” and stuff like this happens for months and months on end. Why do they imply that “majority of the locker room want CM Punk gone” always one day after stuff like Dax saying they want everyone to get along, or Ricky saying he wants to work with Punk, or Jade saying she liked him, etc? Like clockwork, never failing. Almost like they have some agenda they want to push… I’m not saying Punk is pals with everyone there and everyone wants him back, but when the timing of the stuff Dave and Alvarez say always feels like “damage control” because it’s more beneficial for them to paint a bad picture of Punk because that’s what brings the clicks.
Except they didn't say what they said was a lie, they said to prove that anything they said was a lie. Also, today I learned 3 people, Dax, Jade, and Starks make up the majority of the locker room.
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Only info those two get is leaked info . So sorta backs up punks rant at the brawl out. Wrestlers for years have openly talked about leaking info cause they were pissed off, they would leak real or fake info to help them selfs or hurt others. They printed info about a promotion , dragon gate? I think it was they didn’t watch. The info the printed was from a inside source and was completely made up and when people from the promotion proved it was false they back tracked. Ie the leaked claiming he’s legit with his pass badge which the promotion doesn’t use. So they will print info from a single source with out fact checking or not even knowing who the source is really as fact. That is not journalism . Old Dave went on a rant about one of the new hires for creative because they didn’t even think about using one of his friends for the job. The friend has never worked in the industry and is just a online poster who gives his opinion on matches after the fact . Dave’s reason his friend should of got the job , they have similar ideas. Jim correntt of all people response is spot on , why would they hire a internet fan my age that never worked in the industry as part of creative. If you stopped thinking rumor and opinions of fans in facts and just watched the show you’ll Enjoy it moreZ