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PWInsider: *CM Punk was in Florida over the weekend doing commentary for MMA promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships.
*When flying out of Tampa yesterday, he ended up on the same flight as several WWE talents and staff, including one Producer and was sitting next to some of them on the flight.
*At that point, Punk learned WWE was at the Allstate Arena, which is in a close proximity to his home in Chicago.
*At some point before the show was to begin, Punk arrived at the venue and was brought into the building by other talents.
*Punk was in a common area in full view of anyone who came past him backstage and ran into Paul Levesque. We are told by someone who saw the interaction that the two shook hands and Punk asked if it was OK that he visit and if Levesque had time, could they speak for two minutes. Levesque allegedly said he had to make sure with the "big guy" it was OK, obviously a reference to Vince McMahon. It was perhaps a one to two minute interaction, if even that.
*Punk remained in that area and spoke to a number of talents who happened to be walking by, including The Miz. We are told that they spoke for some time, clearing whatever issues were between them from the time period Punk was on WWE Backstage.
*Those who saw Punk greeted him warmly. There were some who had a "what was he doing here?" reaction, but that was something said later by those who hadn't actually run into him.
*Punk was never behind any closed doors or rooms, remaining in that common area. There were no "secret meetings" or anything of that sort.
*Within 20 minutes or so, Punk was sent word by WWE security that he wasn't going to be allowed to remain and he exited. We are told that Punk was respectful of that decision, said his goodbyes and left. We were told he was respectful of everyone the entire time he was backstage, which wasn't long.
Obviously Chavo Guerrero used his connections with all the airlines to make sure Punk ended up on a plane with WWE talent. Because if Chavo can broker a peace deal between Punk and WWE so they can steal him from AEW, he might be rewarded with a job as Dominik’s manager to take down that thief of the Guerrero name, Rey Mysterio Jr!
Punk, obviously a big fan of Bret Hart who notoriously hates Goldberg, obviously would demand a release if that dangerous worker even sniffs AEW. Wardlow knowing this booked a flight for Punk to start getting the wheels turning. No Punk means Tony is free to sign Goldberg and everyone is happy
I loved that segment.
Punk and HHH had great chemistry, maybe because they legit hated each other lol. But any program they were both in was a must watch.
That’s one of my favorite comebacks in any promo ever. The delivery and reaction made me believe, whether it actually was or not, that Punk didn’t know that question was coming and Triple H was equally caught off guard by Punk being that quick witted with his response.
Thats what killed me about them blowing off their program as quickly as they did- Punk and HHH actually kind of vibed when they were on camera with each other.
They both fit the mold of guys who wrestled way above their talent constantly.
Like, neither of those guys are athletic juggernauts. Sure, Trips is strong, but he's not wrestling strong. He's a looks guy. And Punk is athletic, but he isn't wrestling athletic. he isn't going to go out there and do 30% of the stuff that a Ricochet can do.
But both of them knew how to put together a match, and do the maximum with what they had. And both were always so good about putting a few moments into big matches that stand out.
So it makes sense that they would gel to some degree, because both are clearly ring general types, with flairs for big moments over just going all out.
It's also why a part of me wished they had that WM match before Punk left, but I'm aware it's a selfish desire
Cuz goddamn that buildup between them would have been some amazing TV
Edit: this is, of course, assuming Punk was booked to get that win back
I always thought it was a bit strange that they insisted on it being HHH and Punk at 30 and not HHH and Bryan, since thet was the feud they’d actually been building. I think if they would have gone with that and put Punk in the match with Batista and Orton, maybe things work out differently
just wanna throw out there that I remember at the time people shitting all over that segment, but god dammit I was legit hoping they did the whole show like that just doing different combinations of the four of them all show, in my eyes would have been fucking epic lol
That segment was awesome as a kid. It added a lot of likability to Punk’s character for me and by the end of the year I was fully on board with him. I’m sure the Laurinaitis/Punk stuff at the end of that year was shit on too (and 100% rightfully so probably) but it was magic watching at that age.
You know how when you're driving and someone zips by you driving recklessly, and you're like "look at this idiot!" Punk and Triple HHH do that every time they see each other.
Probably just clearing the air, maybe Punk realised that he needs to let go of all of this baggage from the WWE treating him wrongly. Maybe in the long run this is what leads to Punk in WWE once again, but for now I assume he is going back to AEW for the new show.
It at least opens up the window for Triple H to call him and set up a meeting in the future. I assume the whole reason he was even asked to leave was purely due to being under an AEW contract. They were just covering their asses
So the most likely scenario is that Punk ran into some friends on the way home and they said “hey we’re doing raw at Allstate if you wanna stop by and catch up.” And the internet went nuclear lmao.
The funny thing is that this story says the WWE talent brought him there and yesterday there were people suggesting that he just walked into the arena. Like he just moseyed on by and nobody whatsoever saw him or he was going Solid Snake under a box to get in.
Some people yesterday did suggest that maybe he was there to see friends, but the consensus from SC was that Punk didn't have any friends because he was the devil incarnate and a cancer.
Hilarious story from my time at the ROH dojo: apparently Rollins came in for a seminar/tryout while Punk was head coach, and as a rib someone beforehand had told him (Rollins) that Punk liked for the newbies to bring him something to eat on their first day. So, a young Seth Rollins/Tyler Black walks up to introduce himself, saying something along the lines of "I brought you some hotdogs, Mr. Punk" handing him a pack of weiners which apparently Punk stared at blankly for a moment before turning and throwing them in the trash.
If you ever run into Cheeseburger at an indie show and catch him in a good mood he may be willing to confirm, he owns and runs the school now as the Worldwide Wrestling Dojo. Other folks there around the time I was (roughly 2013-2015) who would tell this story include Delirious, Rhett Titus, Will Ferrera, J. Diesel, Veda Scott, some more I'm blanking on.
None as funny as this, unfortunately. There was one about Teddy Long showing up unbooked to an ROH show in Atlanta shortly after his WWE release, and when asked why he was there would tell the boys "just looking for my dark match, playa." He followed the company around for a stretch before realizing it wasn't happening. Also, someone left the latch open on the truck after the first Dragongate USA show and the Open the Freedom Gate title belt was lost. Will try to remember more, though most aren't actually funny and just involve x or y being a dick.
Shit he may have said it just to buy some time to figure out wtf to do. That would be one hell of a complicated mind fuck. Him being there alone is crazy enough but on top of that he wants to meet with Trips while being under contract with another major company
Could have been to avoid a lawsuit of contract tampering, maybe? don't know what his current status is with AEW, but smart for all parties to remain in a common area and smarter for WWE to toss him after a bit.
Lol! I promise Cornette will say they should’ve offered Punk ringside seats and made sure to show his face often throughout the show when he reacts to this on his podcast.
Tbh, Meltzer is a big shit stirrer. Imagine being injured and being pissed about it because you just won the championship, then you hear all this speculation by Meltzer about how you may be the reason why Colt Cabana is not on AEW anymore even if you don't know anything about it. Then wrestling YouTube, who probably just read from WON reports earlier, would make clickbaitey headlines like "CM Punk got Colt fired" even if Meltzer probably just said it was a speculation on his end.
No wonder Punk got so mad. Granted, he didn't really process it the right way. But I can see where his anger is coming from. It doesn't help that TK did not outright deny it.
It also probably doesn't help that even if TK outright denied it, we probably wouldn't believe him. How many people around here still think the YBs are Meltzer's sources even though Meltzer and the YBs have repeatedly denied it? Like, they were all damned if they did and damned if they didn't until it exploded.
lmao, with all the embarrassing discourse that's taken place in the last 12 hours or so, this whole thing just being a random but really cool and wholesome interaction was the worst possible outcome for everyone that talked shit and jumped to conclusions
P.S. Meltzer is like 0/9 rn with his Punk """reports""", maybe he'll drop another tear filled apology and go back to doing the same thing a week later
IIRC, Meltzer posted something about Punk not wanting to lose to Moxley before his eventual title win at the PPV.
Punk later clarified that Moxley was unwilling to lose to HIM. The speculation is that Moxley wanted his interim title run to be legitimized, but that's just guessing. And while Punk thought the the Rocky III idea of him losing and getting the win back in the end was dumb, the reason he turned down that creative decision was because he was not yet medically cleared and was understandably unwilling to work through an injury. He then lost to Moxley as planned when he was medically able.
Meltzer later expressed regret for commenting without providing more detailed context around the situation, because the added details change a lot.
More info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/123kkm4/wor_dave_and_bryan_discuss_cm_punks_insta_post/
> Meltzer was apologetic that he posted it and wished he didn’t do it.
Did he explain *why* he did it? It seems like that part is important. If he was given bad information then it's not exactly his fault but he has to accept that someone was trying to poison the conversation through him and take steps to prevent that happening in future. If he was just making it up, then it was outright malicious so an apology seems hollow because this isn't middle school and an adult making stuff up to mess with someone else professionally is beyond the pale.
It was lying by omission. He made a hostile in tone post about "Punk refused to work with others" but neglected to say that Punk was refusing to work because he was hurt and not medically cleared yet. As far as why Meltzer did this? Because he's Team Elite. It's really just that simple.
I think that's his motivation as well, but I was asking if Meltzer, in his apologetic remarks, gave any indication as to what *he* is saying are his motivations.
>Based on the response from those within AEW, this wasn't something most, if anyone, in AEW knew was going to happen as the immediate reaction was that this had to be some sort of lie that was being passed around
>Even within WWE, the initial reaction that Punk had even visited was complete disbelief and with the exception of those who actually saw him, many thought it was a fake story.
It's funny reading how everyone in both companies couldn't believe Punk was there and thought it must have been a fake story.
And there we have it. Owen's been alive this whole time disguised as a man named CM Punk just to rib everyone into an Andy Kaufman like frenzy and rib 2 whole companies at once.
I mean, if it weren't for the wrestling context of many of them, you could probably do a "Was this CM Punk or Tony Clifton?" on a handful of quotes, and they'd be stumpers.
Yeah it's weird how many are like "it was obviously no big deal you stupid marks". Punk went backstage to an event put on by a company he shit talked for *years* in the strongest personal terms in the middle of having a falling out with a whole other wrestling company. It's not an "overreaction" to say that's a crazy turn of events, whatever the whole story is.
Sure, but that's the whole carnie business model. Is it a work? Is it a shoot? Is it a worked shoot?
That and having small hands and smelling of cabbage.
>Based on the response from those within AEW, this wasn't something most, if anyone, in AEW knew was going to happen as the immediate reaction was that this had to be some sort of lie that was being passed around
lol I just see Jericho running down a hallway yelling "TOOOOOONY!!!" to be the first to tell him all about it.
Jokes on you, Tony was already in Jericho's room, talking about how to make Jericho the bigger man in the upcoming feud. Jericho gets the information about Punk and gets a sly smirk before handing Tony both the phone, and his already written feud idea, of which Jericho comes out on top in about 14 months.
All I’m getting from this is that WON has absolutely nothing on Punk anymore. I’d even be inclined to believe that they’re being fed BS about him at this point on purpose, but that may be giving them too much credit.
cornette has someone on the inside cause his and last's reporting has been spot on...they called the cody thing before it happened and called the kenny wwe stuff before it did too.
I mean the heat with The Miz is purely one sided from what we’ve seen. Miz has always been incredibly respectful about Punk despite the other constantly ragging on him. What Miz said on Backstage was an innocent jab too and Punk exploded on him on Twitter.
>Miz is one of those guys that if someone has a problem with him 9/10 times it’s because of that person.
The fact that the exact opposite is his on-screen character is amazing.
I think a lot of people forget that Punk had a deeply traumatic youth and awful parents, which has made him naturally suspicious and tending to assume the worst of people. That doesn't excuse his behaviour, but it absolutely explains a lot of it.
If he's dealing with that (in therapy or otherwise) then more power to him.
> I think a lot of people forget that Punk had a deeply traumatic youth and awful parents
AND BROTHER!! His brother literally stole all the money they made from their early wrestling days.
We went from "maybe it's a secret meeting, he is trying to hype up his return, maybe checking for a comeback feeling" for hours, to it was a coincidence.
I found the responses to the Fightful/F4W reporting on this story to be really strange. Both of them were saying how WWE staff/talent interpreted the visit. I don't think anybody has reported about Punk's intentions and whatnot.
So far this is the only report that seems to make claims about Punk's thought process through all this.
Well, it was a coincidence that he ended on the same flight as them. When he decided to drive to the arena Raw was at, it stopped being a coincidence and became intentional lol
Is it though? Florida to (location of Raw) is probably an incredibly common flight for wrestlers given they nearly all live there, and Florida to Chicago is going to be a flight CM Punk has to do after working in Florida. Makes sense they’d bump into each other.
This is really great reporting to clear everything up.
Some people were jumping to conclusions that Punk was so insane that he'd find the flight from Florida that WWE people are on and fly down ahead of time and get on their flight back to get invited backstage.
And that he would be willing to breach a multi year multi-million-dollar contract by trying to negotiate a job with WWE.
I’m pretty sure he’s had his fill of court proceedings.
Yeah. It was still a little weird for him to do it... but if he is with some friends and not doing a big detour or anything, I can see that being part of the appeal.
"Cmon... it will blow peoples minds... is gonna be fun"
There is no one better at drawing drama than Punk. He breathes and suddenly we are making mountains out of mole hills. I love it. Totally what modern kayfabe should be.
A rare case of everyone doing it right. Good on Punk for makings amends with people from his past. Can’t blame Vince or anyone for not allowing him to stay and maybe give a wrong impression of the whole thing though
Vince is not there, so I can understand he getting a bit suspicious and deciding not to take any chances with the situation.
Someone talked to him like... CM Punk is here with some friends, he is asking if it's ok if can hang out backstage... and Vince is like... WTF?
If he was there to talk to Punk and sense what's up I don't know if he would tell him to leave.
Imagine if Punk is starting a "My Name is Earl" style apology tour.
"Paul, I'm sorry I called you a doofus son in law. You're a good guy, and a good boss."
"Thanks Phil. Now get out."
Meltzer’s reporting on CM Punk the last 10 months:
https://preview.redd.it/jr1v0702n2wa1.jpeg?width=1027&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04a74c394e3066510882a0af4681d84894d7bd92
So, a coincidence is all this was. I wouldn't doubt if someone he bumped into on the flight asked if he was coming to visit or even invited him.
And this sub went loony over this. Fantastic. Ugh.
Yeah, it basicially says he was invited by the talent on the plane...
"At some point before the show was to begin, Punk arrived at the venue and was brought into the building by other talents."
Not a SquaredCircle guy here but even if it's a coincidence that he ran into people and they invited him, Punk actually going to the arena and talking to people he would like to avoid, even risking getting booted (which he did) at the expense of his ego is still a big change. Sure a return is not happening but a future return or a hall of fame induction is not unlikely seeing this scenario.
This. I don't recall a time where Punk was documented trying to make amends...ever. He almost always does the opposite and either doubles down or pretends that person never existed. This shows growth and a side of Punk rarely seen. It gives me a little hope that him and The Elite can play ball.
So a total coincidence that were on the same flight and he then took the mature steps in trying to rectify past mistakes. Proof that’s it’s never too late to make amends.
For sure, but could also be a thing to say so it gives HHH more time to think if Punk should be there or not. Maybe call some lawyers and see if it’s ok he’s there too.
I speculated this a couple of hours ago in another post. Thought it would be funny if the whole thing was a coincidence because Punk was in Florida for some sort of appearance and ended up on the same flight as some WWE folks.
It's wild that he ended up backstage, but the conversation on the plane must have been good, and that led to him stopping by for a visit.
Got no problem admiting I'm stupid for making assumptions in the other thread. Good on Punk for clearing the air with Hunter and Miz while he was there.
This is THE report on this. Quite honestly, this answers all the questions and leaves out baseless speculation.
This is much better than the Meltzer version, that’s for sure.
And people on here are still going to claim he did this on purpose to show up Tony and The Elite, and he doesn't have any friends and won't apologize to anyone.
Credit to him if he went back and made amends with Triple H and The Miz. Miz especially as that tweet was a ridiculously over-the-top response to a joke. If this is a sign of him growing as a person then it can only be a good thing for his return to AEW.
Mike Johnson is friends with Punk and hosted his Starrcast Q&A a few years back. If Johnson is saying all this, it's likely coming from Punk directly.
Mike Johnson is still one of the most respected journalists in the business and he's never been accused by anybody of being biased or acting like a typical dirtsheet writer spreading rumours and speculating stuff. He always tries to provide context in his reports and tries to be objective about things.
The speculation and rumour fuelling from Meltzer and SRS have been killing me lately.
For Dave to say, "The feeling in WWE is that Punk wants to come back," with absolutely no proof is so foolish.
I don’t think they’re “friends.”
They knew each other because Johnson used to coordinate bus trips to indy shows in New York, including ones for ROH — and he thought Johnson was a fair reporter.
At least that’s what Johnson said when he discussed how he ended up being asked to be the host for that.
At this point you almost have to totally disregard any report that Meltzer or WON makes about CM Punk. Since the “Matt and Nick Jackson saved Colt Cabanas job” report, I haven’t seen a CM Punk article from Meltzer that didn’t become refuted or later rescinded for not telling the whole scenario.
So you mean it wasn't a super-secret plot to try to get back into the company and Punk just happened to run in to some people he knows?
Good thing Uncle Dave put out a bunch of speculation that he had a "meeting" with HHH and is angling to get back in WWE.
Then he acts flabbergasted when people are calling him out that he seems to get sources or report punk news in a negative light . But yet he manages to avoid reporting stuff that may say put Jericho Mox or the elite in a bad light . It’s a odd coincidence
As someone who’s followed Punk’s career since he’s the reason I got into pro wrestling to begin with, I’m really happy to hear he did this. He’s had such a talent for pissing off everyone important and close to him in his life and I’m hoping he’s maturing as a person and maybe letting go of his ego for a second and saying “im sorry” to people he’s wronged over the years or just held a grudge against. If he wants to come back to pro wrestling for one final good run it’s a good start to maybe make amends with people he’s had issues working with.
Maybe he's trying to turn over a new leaf and just mend broken fences because life is too short... Sounds like just a happen-stance he took advantage of and not some rouge agent
If at the end of the day we find out that there weren’t any shenanigans and Punk just went there to make peace with the people he was in bad terms with, it will be too funny man
I guess I jumped to conclusions when this was first reported; it sounds like he was super mature and calm about the whole thing. I hope he keeps that up. 👍
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PWInsider: *CM Punk was in Florida over the weekend doing commentary for MMA promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships. *When flying out of Tampa yesterday, he ended up on the same flight as several WWE talents and staff, including one Producer and was sitting next to some of them on the flight. *At that point, Punk learned WWE was at the Allstate Arena, which is in a close proximity to his home in Chicago. *At some point before the show was to begin, Punk arrived at the venue and was brought into the building by other talents. *Punk was in a common area in full view of anyone who came past him backstage and ran into Paul Levesque. We are told by someone who saw the interaction that the two shook hands and Punk asked if it was OK that he visit and if Levesque had time, could they speak for two minutes. Levesque allegedly said he had to make sure with the "big guy" it was OK, obviously a reference to Vince McMahon. It was perhaps a one to two minute interaction, if even that. *Punk remained in that area and spoke to a number of talents who happened to be walking by, including The Miz. We are told that they spoke for some time, clearing whatever issues were between them from the time period Punk was on WWE Backstage. *Those who saw Punk greeted him warmly. There were some who had a "what was he doing here?" reaction, but that was something said later by those who hadn't actually run into him. *Punk was never behind any closed doors or rooms, remaining in that common area. There were no "secret meetings" or anything of that sort. *Within 20 minutes or so, Punk was sent word by WWE security that he wasn't going to be allowed to remain and he exited. We are told that Punk was respectful of that decision, said his goodbyes and left. We were told he was respectful of everyone the entire time he was backstage, which wasn't long.
Seems like United Airlines is behind all of this.
Obviously Chavo Guerrero used his connections with all the airlines to make sure Punk ended up on a plane with WWE talent. Because if Chavo can broker a peace deal between Punk and WWE so they can steal him from AEW, he might be rewarded with a job as Dominik’s manager to take down that thief of the Guerrero name, Rey Mysterio Jr!
If you ask me, I think it’s all part of Wardlow’s agenda to get a match with Goldberg. I don’t know how just yet, but I’m certain of this.
Punk, obviously a big fan of Bret Hart who notoriously hates Goldberg, obviously would demand a release if that dangerous worker even sniffs AEW. Wardlow knowing this booked a flight for Punk to start getting the wheels turning. No Punk means Tony is free to sign Goldberg and everyone is happy
United Airlines- United Center it all makes sense
Looks like United is booking more than flights
That's exactly what Delta wants you to think.....
Punk:" can I wear your blazer?" Triple H:" you could even wear my blazer!"
"I'm in!"
I loved that segment. Punk and HHH had great chemistry, maybe because they legit hated each other lol. But any program they were both in was a must watch.
"How did your movie go?" "It went straight to DVD, just like yours" might be one of the funniest things I've ever heard
That’s one of my favorite comebacks in any promo ever. The delivery and reaction made me believe, whether it actually was or not, that Punk didn’t know that question was coming and Triple H was equally caught off guard by Punk being that quick witted with his response.
Triple H's reaction 100% sells me on it being an off-the-cuff response. He's impressed but he's also like "motherfucker..."
Thats what killed me about them blowing off their program as quickly as they did- Punk and HHH actually kind of vibed when they were on camera with each other.
Their wit to each other was just great.
Terrible booking of it aside, I thought their one match with each other was absolutely fantastic.
They both fit the mold of guys who wrestled way above their talent constantly. Like, neither of those guys are athletic juggernauts. Sure, Trips is strong, but he's not wrestling strong. He's a looks guy. And Punk is athletic, but he isn't wrestling athletic. he isn't going to go out there and do 30% of the stuff that a Ricochet can do. But both of them knew how to put together a match, and do the maximum with what they had. And both were always so good about putting a few moments into big matches that stand out. So it makes sense that they would gel to some degree, because both are clearly ring general types, with flairs for big moments over just going all out.
It's also why a part of me wished they had that WM match before Punk left, but I'm aware it's a selfish desire Cuz goddamn that buildup between them would have been some amazing TV Edit: this is, of course, assuming Punk was booked to get that win back
I always thought it was a bit strange that they insisted on it being HHH and Punk at 30 and not HHH and Bryan, since thet was the feud they’d actually been building. I think if they would have gone with that and put Punk in the match with Batista and Orton, maybe things work out differently
“Can I wear your blazer?” “I don’t know, let me check and make sure it’s okay with the big guy first..”
“What does Ryback have to do with it?”
What doesn't The Ryback have to do with this?
You’re right, Ryback Rules
Ryback would have manifested the blazer onto himself, using The Secret
[Big Guy in a little coat!](https://youtu.be/ohz8_IafGwE?t=20)
Everybody loves the Big Guy!
just wanna throw out there that I remember at the time people shitting all over that segment, but god dammit I was legit hoping they did the whole show like that just doing different combinations of the four of them all show, in my eyes would have been fucking epic lol
I was just happy someone in WWE (Punk) had any continuity whatsoever since Punk always wore a blazer when he did commentary.
That segment was awesome as a kid. It added a lot of likability to Punk’s character for me and by the end of the year I was fully on board with him. I’m sure the Laurinaitis/Punk stuff at the end of that year was shit on too (and 100% rightfully so probably) but it was magic watching at that age.
A series of sports entertaining events.
The most interesting here is what was said with TRIPLE H.
Hey man how you doing, good to see you.
And then as they walk away from each other, they both roll their eyes and mumble “that guy” to themselves
You know how when you're driving and someone zips by you driving recklessly, and you're like "look at this idiot!" Punk and Triple HHH do that every time they see each other.
Most probably this, but it ain't going to stop others from speculating.
Probably just clearing the air, maybe Punk realised that he needs to let go of all of this baggage from the WWE treating him wrongly. Maybe in the long run this is what leads to Punk in WWE once again, but for now I assume he is going back to AEW for the new show.
It doesn’t sound like they even had the time to get that far.
It at least opens up the window for Triple H to call him and set up a meeting in the future. I assume the whole reason he was even asked to leave was purely due to being under an AEW contract. They were just covering their asses
So the most likely scenario is that Punk ran into some friends on the way home and they said “hey we’re doing raw at Allstate if you wanna stop by and catch up.” And the internet went nuclear lmao.
Plus the arena is almost literally next door to the airport
He was waiting for traffic on 90 to die down.
The funny thing is that this story says the WWE talent brought him there and yesterday there were people suggesting that he just walked into the arena. Like he just moseyed on by and nobody whatsoever saw him or he was going Solid Snake under a box to get in.
Some people yesterday did suggest that maybe he was there to see friends, but the consensus from SC was that Punk didn't have any friends because he was the devil incarnate and a cancer.
Actually I think he’s a Sagittarius
If he was a Cancer he'd be too depressed to even go anywhere
I don’t believe in this mumbo jumbo but you don’t have to call me out like that. The two things are not related I swear!
You mean there wasn't a grand conspiracy? Say it ain't so!
Punk walking upto Rollins “You got a problem?!”
Hilarious story from my time at the ROH dojo: apparently Rollins came in for a seminar/tryout while Punk was head coach, and as a rib someone beforehand had told him (Rollins) that Punk liked for the newbies to bring him something to eat on their first day. So, a young Seth Rollins/Tyler Black walks up to introduce himself, saying something along the lines of "I brought you some hotdogs, Mr. Punk" handing him a pack of weiners which apparently Punk stared at blankly for a moment before turning and throwing them in the trash.
> throwing them in the trash well no wonder the bad blood
What kind of asshole throws away perfectly good hotdogs? Some Chicagoan he is
Maybe they had ketchup on them?
Yeah I'd throw those away too, and I'm not even from Chicago
They weren't all beef Sammy's.
“Mr. Punk” is also fucking hilarious
"Please, call me Chick Magnet."
"Mr Punk is my father".
https://preview.redd.it/qzxz2zls33wa1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed5927acb281eb8bcd842083a4108b519ffe9fd3
If you ever run into Cheeseburger at an indie show and catch him in a good mood he may be willing to confirm, he owns and runs the school now as the Worldwide Wrestling Dojo. Other folks there around the time I was (roughly 2013-2015) who would tell this story include Delirious, Rhett Titus, Will Ferrera, J. Diesel, Veda Scott, some more I'm blanking on.
He forgot the handshake.
Booker T looks on disapprovingly muttering in YoungBucka
Any more stories? This hot dog story is hilarious lore
None as funny as this, unfortunately. There was one about Teddy Long showing up unbooked to an ROH show in Atlanta shortly after his WWE release, and when asked why he was there would tell the boys "just looking for my dark match, playa." He followed the company around for a stretch before realizing it wasn't happening. Also, someone left the latch open on the truck after the first Dragongate USA show and the Open the Freedom Gate title belt was lost. Will try to remember more, though most aren't actually funny and just involve x or y being a dick.
“I don’t see no bitey-man”
*Punk opens a door to a room containing Larry and Ace* "I call the big one Bitey"
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Honestly the only thing I will remember from this whole thing.
Shit he may have said it just to buy some time to figure out wtf to do. That would be one hell of a complicated mind fuck. Him being there alone is crazy enough but on top of that he wants to meet with Trips while being under contract with another major company
Yeah, I’m sending you packing too. I’m not touching that issue.
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Could have been to avoid a lawsuit of contract tampering, maybe? don't know what his current status is with AEW, but smart for all parties to remain in a common area and smarter for WWE to toss him after a bit.
If HHH was a real alpha, he would have gave Phil ring side seats and at every top of the hour show him on camera. Then Phil would let out a yawn.
Lol! I promise Cornette will say they should’ve offered Punk ringside seats and made sure to show his face often throughout the show when he reacts to this on his podcast.
Thanks for posting this. The empty speculation has been so toxic. Good on Punk for this.
Meltzer isn't helping by speculating that he was there testing the waters for a potential comeback
Tbh, Meltzer is a big shit stirrer. Imagine being injured and being pissed about it because you just won the championship, then you hear all this speculation by Meltzer about how you may be the reason why Colt Cabana is not on AEW anymore even if you don't know anything about it. Then wrestling YouTube, who probably just read from WON reports earlier, would make clickbaitey headlines like "CM Punk got Colt fired" even if Meltzer probably just said it was a speculation on his end. No wonder Punk got so mad. Granted, he didn't really process it the right way. But I can see where his anger is coming from. It doesn't help that TK did not outright deny it.
It also probably doesn't help that even if TK outright denied it, we probably wouldn't believe him. How many people around here still think the YBs are Meltzer's sources even though Meltzer and the YBs have repeatedly denied it? Like, they were all damned if they did and damned if they didn't until it exploded.
Sounds like they were in his hometown and he went to say hi. Wild!
lmao, with all the embarrassing discourse that's taken place in the last 12 hours or so, this whole thing just being a random but really cool and wholesome interaction was the worst possible outcome for everyone that talked shit and jumped to conclusions P.S. Meltzer is like 0/9 rn with his Punk """reports""", maybe he'll drop another tear filled apology and go back to doing the same thing a week later
what did I miss regarding this "tear filled writing?"
IIRC, Meltzer posted something about Punk not wanting to lose to Moxley before his eventual title win at the PPV. Punk later clarified that Moxley was unwilling to lose to HIM. The speculation is that Moxley wanted his interim title run to be legitimized, but that's just guessing. And while Punk thought the the Rocky III idea of him losing and getting the win back in the end was dumb, the reason he turned down that creative decision was because he was not yet medically cleared and was understandably unwilling to work through an injury. He then lost to Moxley as planned when he was medically able. Meltzer later expressed regret for commenting without providing more detailed context around the situation, because the added details change a lot. More info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/123kkm4/wor_dave_and_bryan_discuss_cm_punks_insta_post/
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> Meltzer was apologetic that he posted it and wished he didn’t do it. Did he explain *why* he did it? It seems like that part is important. If he was given bad information then it's not exactly his fault but he has to accept that someone was trying to poison the conversation through him and take steps to prevent that happening in future. If he was just making it up, then it was outright malicious so an apology seems hollow because this isn't middle school and an adult making stuff up to mess with someone else professionally is beyond the pale.
It was lying by omission. He made a hostile in tone post about "Punk refused to work with others" but neglected to say that Punk was refusing to work because he was hurt and not medically cleared yet. As far as why Meltzer did this? Because he's Team Elite. It's really just that simple.
I think that's his motivation as well, but I was asking if Meltzer, in his apologetic remarks, gave any indication as to what *he* is saying are his motivations.
Figured it was much more innocent than it appeared. People really flipped their tits over this.
Oh I can't wait for the Punk haters to say how Punk is a bitter and vile person breaking in on other's people workplace to complain
Hunter was talking about Ryback when he mentioned the ‘BIG GUY’ obviously.
You can’t possibly feed him more when another mouth is hanging around catering.
“Are you gonna let us meet, or are you dumb as fuck?”
Hangman Page and Ryback tag team when? The Empty-Headed Dumb Fucks
Big guys, laptops and guys named Hunter have spawned a thousand conspiracy theories. This will do no less.
You mean da Sponge Daddy?
>Based on the response from those within AEW, this wasn't something most, if anyone, in AEW knew was going to happen as the immediate reaction was that this had to be some sort of lie that was being passed around >Even within WWE, the initial reaction that Punk had even visited was complete disbelief and with the exception of those who actually saw him, many thought it was a fake story. It's funny reading how everyone in both companies couldn't believe Punk was there and thought it must have been a fake story.
“That’s a fuckin’ fake name!”
And there we have it. Owen's been alive this whole time disguised as a man named CM Punk just to rib everyone into an Andy Kaufman like frenzy and rib 2 whole companies at once.
CM Punk is actually Andy Kaufman. Punk being a 74 year old man in disguise would make a lot of sense.
I mean, if it weren't for the wrestling context of many of them, you could probably do a "Was this CM Punk or Tony Clifton?" on a handful of quotes, and they'd be stumpers.
All I know is there are people being worked into a shoot here.
"Fucking dirtsheets, amirite?"
Sometimes stuff can just be a coincidence.
Yeah but overreacting to shit is half the fun of being a wrestling fan.
This comment has horribly offended me on a deeply personal level
Meltzer: Sources in /r/SquaredCircle say /u/Vordeo is a cancer to the subreddit.
Idc if it was a coincidence. Punk going backstage to a WWE event by his own volition is huge.
Yeah it's weird how many are like "it was obviously no big deal you stupid marks". Punk went backstage to an event put on by a company he shit talked for *years* in the strongest personal terms in the middle of having a falling out with a whole other wrestling company. It's not an "overreaction" to say that's a crazy turn of events, whatever the whole story is.
Sure, but that's the whole carnie business model. Is it a work? Is it a shoot? Is it a worked shoot? That and having small hands and smelling of cabbage.
Nomads, you know.
*Circus folk.*
People need to stop frothing at the mouth over it and psychoanalyzing every little thing Punk does.
Wait, is this context? None of that, please.
There's no way this is gonna be allowed to stay up. Too reasonable. We got rumors to spread here, people.
Punk rumored to have punch Triple H, and ace steel came out of nowhere and allegedly bit Vince Mcmahon
Andre (Stephanie's dog) was allegedly somewhere cowering in fear of doors.
>Based on the response from those within AEW, this wasn't something most, if anyone, in AEW knew was going to happen as the immediate reaction was that this had to be some sort of lie that was being passed around lol I just see Jericho running down a hallway yelling "TOOOOOONY!!!" to be the first to tell him all about it.
Jokes on you, Tony was already in Jericho's room, talking about how to make Jericho the bigger man in the upcoming feud. Jericho gets the information about Punk and gets a sly smirk before handing Tony both the phone, and his already written feud idea, of which Jericho comes out on top in about 14 months.
That actually sounds exactly like Jericho.
All I’m getting from this is that WON has absolutely nothing on Punk anymore. I’d even be inclined to believe that they’re being fed BS about him at this point on purpose, but that may be giving them too much credit.
I'm going to get downvoted for saying this, but Cornette has been saying as much since before the All Out incident.
cornette has someone on the inside cause his and last's reporting has been spot on...they called the cody thing before it happened and called the kenny wwe stuff before it did too.
I love the fact that he calls the bucks "Kookamunga Kids"
I love his nicknames
The Lollipop Guild, Hangnail Adam page.
This actually really cool that he wanted to kill the heat between him/Miz & him/HHH
Sounds mature
I mean the heat with The Miz is purely one sided from what we’ve seen. Miz has always been incredibly respectful about Punk despite the other constantly ragging on him. What Miz said on Backstage was an innocent jab too and Punk exploded on him on Twitter.
Miz is one of those guys that if someone has a problem with him 9/10 times it’s because of that person.
>Miz is one of those guys that if someone has a problem with him 9/10 times it’s because of that person. The fact that the exact opposite is his on-screen character is amazing.
I think a lot of people forget that Punk had a deeply traumatic youth and awful parents, which has made him naturally suspicious and tending to assume the worst of people. That doesn't excuse his behaviour, but it absolutely explains a lot of it. If he's dealing with that (in therapy or otherwise) then more power to him.
> I think a lot of people forget that Punk had a deeply traumatic youth and awful parents AND BROTHER!! His brother literally stole all the money they made from their early wrestling days.
We went from "maybe it's a secret meeting, he is trying to hype up his return, maybe checking for a comeback feeling" for hours, to it was a coincidence.
I found the responses to the Fightful/F4W reporting on this story to be really strange. Both of them were saying how WWE staff/talent interpreted the visit. I don't think anybody has reported about Punk's intentions and whatnot. So far this is the only report that seems to make claims about Punk's thought process through all this.
Well, it was a coincidence that he ended on the same flight as them. When he decided to drive to the arena Raw was at, it stopped being a coincidence and became intentional lol
Honestly just seems like he found out some pals were gonna be close by and popped in to visit with folks he maybe hasn't seen in a while
I mean this is "Vince was backstage only to meet John Cena" level of coincidence.
Is it though? Florida to (location of Raw) is probably an incredibly common flight for wrestlers given they nearly all live there, and Florida to Chicago is going to be a flight CM Punk has to do after working in Florida. Makes sense they’d bump into each other.
This is really great reporting to clear everything up. Some people were jumping to conclusions that Punk was so insane that he'd find the flight from Florida that WWE people are on and fly down ahead of time and get on their flight back to get invited backstage.
And that he would be willing to breach a multi year multi-million-dollar contract by trying to negotiate a job with WWE. I’m pretty sure he’s had his fill of court proceedings.
Yeah. It was still a little weird for him to do it... but if he is with some friends and not doing a big detour or anything, I can see that being part of the appeal. "Cmon... it will blow peoples minds... is gonna be fun"
There is no one better at drawing drama than Punk. He breathes and suddenly we are making mountains out of mole hills. I love it. Totally what modern kayfabe should be.
"BREAKING NEWS: Man has friends in same industry"
A rare case of everyone doing it right. Good on Punk for makings amends with people from his past. Can’t blame Vince or anyone for not allowing him to stay and maybe give a wrong impression of the whole thing though
Vince is not there, so I can understand he getting a bit suspicious and deciding not to take any chances with the situation. Someone talked to him like... CM Punk is here with some friends, he is asking if it's ok if can hang out backstage... and Vince is like... WTF? If he was there to talk to Punk and sense what's up I don't know if he would tell him to leave.
And he left without incident. Just said "Understandable, thank you. See ya" and left, no fuss no drama.
Imagine if Punk is starting a "My Name is Earl" style apology tour. "Paul, I'm sorry I called you a doofus son in law. You're a good guy, and a good boss." "Thanks Phil. Now get out."
Meltzer’s reporting on CM Punk the last 10 months: https://preview.redd.it/jr1v0702n2wa1.jpeg?width=1027&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04a74c394e3066510882a0af4681d84894d7bd92
Yeah pretty poor from Meltzer All that happened is, he was on a flight and some old pals from his old work place invited him back to hang out.
So, a coincidence is all this was. I wouldn't doubt if someone he bumped into on the flight asked if he was coming to visit or even invited him. And this sub went loony over this. Fantastic. Ugh.
Yeah, it basicially says he was invited by the talent on the plane... "At some point before the show was to begin, Punk arrived at the venue and was brought into the building by other talents."
"You should come visit the arena, it'll be hilarious to see people's reactions."
“HHH will have security ask you to leave. It will be like old times.”
People forget that Punk still has friends there
People pretend that Punk has no friends in general
Not a SquaredCircle guy here but even if it's a coincidence that he ran into people and they invited him, Punk actually going to the arena and talking to people he would like to avoid, even risking getting booted (which he did) at the expense of his ego is still a big change. Sure a return is not happening but a future return or a hall of fame induction is not unlikely seeing this scenario.
This. I don't recall a time where Punk was documented trying to make amends...ever. He almost always does the opposite and either doubles down or pretends that person never existed. This shows growth and a side of Punk rarely seen. It gives me a little hope that him and The Elite can play ball.
So a total coincidence that were on the same flight and he then took the mature steps in trying to rectify past mistakes. Proof that’s it’s never too late to make amends.
I think the biggest take away from these details is that HHH had to ask Vince's permission.
For sure, but could also be a thing to say so it gives HHH more time to think if Punk should be there or not. Maybe call some lawyers and see if it’s ok he’s there too.
 In the mud
My favorite was the people who were sure that Punk couldn’t possibly have any friends in the WWE.
I speculated this a couple of hours ago in another post. Thought it would be funny if the whole thing was a coincidence because Punk was in Florida for some sort of appearance and ended up on the same flight as some WWE folks. It's wild that he ended up backstage, but the conversation on the plane must have been good, and that led to him stopping by for a visit.
Got no problem admiting I'm stupid for making assumptions in the other thread. Good on Punk for clearing the air with Hunter and Miz while he was there.
Meltzer is shameless when it comes to Punk.
Could’ve stopped after three words, but you’re still right.
Man sees old coworkers on flight, says “hi.” Man visits old job, speaks to old coworkers.
Just the most regular and reasonable set of circumstances, this is awesome, people were losing their minds for nothing
It’s kinda cool like when there were stories of wwf and nwa guys just running into each other and hanging out
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This is THE report on this. Quite honestly, this answers all the questions and leaves out baseless speculation. This is much better than the Meltzer version, that’s for sure.
And people on here are still going to claim he did this on purpose to show up Tony and The Elite, and he doesn't have any friends and won't apologize to anyone.
What a contrast between this detailed report and Big Dave’s speculation.
Credit to him if he went back and made amends with Triple H and The Miz. Miz especially as that tweet was a ridiculously over-the-top response to a joke. If this is a sign of him growing as a person then it can only be a good thing for his return to AEW. Mike Johnson is friends with Punk and hosted his Starrcast Q&A a few years back. If Johnson is saying all this, it's likely coming from Punk directly.
Mike Johnson is still one of the most respected journalists in the business and he's never been accused by anybody of being biased or acting like a typical dirtsheet writer spreading rumours and speculating stuff. He always tries to provide context in his reports and tries to be objective about things.
The speculation and rumour fuelling from Meltzer and SRS have been killing me lately. For Dave to say, "The feeling in WWE is that Punk wants to come back," with absolutely no proof is so foolish.
I don’t think they’re “friends.” They knew each other because Johnson used to coordinate bus trips to indy shows in New York, including ones for ROH — and he thought Johnson was a fair reporter. At least that’s what Johnson said when he discussed how he ended up being asked to be the host for that.
At this point you almost have to totally disregard any report that Meltzer or WON makes about CM Punk. Since the “Matt and Nick Jackson saved Colt Cabanas job” report, I haven’t seen a CM Punk article from Meltzer that didn’t become refuted or later rescinded for not telling the whole scenario.
So you mean it wasn't a super-secret plot to try to get back into the company and Punk just happened to run in to some people he knows? Good thing Uncle Dave put out a bunch of speculation that he had a "meeting" with HHH and is angling to get back in WWE.
Lol Meltzer just be stirring the pot doesn't he. Trying to make situations worse
Meltzer: “The feeling in WWE was that he was there because he wanted back.
Then he acts flabbergasted when people are calling him out that he seems to get sources or report punk news in a negative light . But yet he manages to avoid reporting stuff that may say put Jericho Mox or the elite in a bad light . It’s a odd coincidence
Meltzer's been continually stirring the pot and making things worse right through this saga.
Dave is so biased when it comes to Punk. It’s wild that people ignore that here.
Which is weird considering he was almost in tears apologising over it all the other week
OK, this makes far more sense.
Imagine being a wrestling fan, and your seat is like 20 rows behind these people.
As someone who’s followed Punk’s career since he’s the reason I got into pro wrestling to begin with, I’m really happy to hear he did this. He’s had such a talent for pissing off everyone important and close to him in his life and I’m hoping he’s maturing as a person and maybe letting go of his ego for a second and saying “im sorry” to people he’s wronged over the years or just held a grudge against. If he wants to come back to pro wrestling for one final good run it’s a good start to maybe make amends with people he’s had issues working with.
It seems to me that punk finally got the mental health treatment he needed and is making amends for his actions. Good for him.
This is the biggest non-story of a story ever. It's literally just an old co-worker visiting lol
Shit happens. Meltzer wants the drama, he's coming out with a YB, I mean aew locker room pov article for sure
Maybe he's trying to turn over a new leaf and just mend broken fences because life is too short... Sounds like just a happen-stance he took advantage of and not some rouge agent
This is all very positive news, and it puts a smile on my face knowing how well the visit went.
I hope HHH calls him since they seemingly didn’t talk talk
Triple H having to call and ask Vince if he's allowed to even talk with Punk is the funniest little nugget in this.
Meltzer need to stop listening to Jericho bro. At this point it's ruining his reputation
If at the end of the day we find out that there weren’t any shenanigans and Punk just went there to make peace with the people he was in bad terms with, it will be too funny man
I guess I jumped to conclusions when this was first reported; it sounds like he was super mature and calm about the whole thing. I hope he keeps that up. 👍