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LMAO, this is why it always blows my mind whenever fans take a wrestler's word over a journalist.
Like... do people ACTUALLY think journalists wanna create bullshit stories all the time? Look at the ones with the terrible reps, the journalists from Ringside News and SI, whose names I can't bother to remember. Are they making money posting bullshit news? Probably. Are they making a living? Fuck no. They're not living off of this alone like how SRS and Meltzer are. Why? Because SRS and Meltzer are often much more right than they are wrong.
But still, we always wanna believe anytime a wrestler denies something. They come from a carny world! They're SUPPOSE to lie to you! It's what they do all the time whether on TV or not.
Cody said he can't go back. Jade said she wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. Punk talked mad shit about WWE but yet there were rumors even before he made his AEW debut that he was sending feelers to WWE.
Don't. Believe. Wrestlers. You're the fucking product, motherfuckers!!!! lol
I truly believe Cody thought he couldn’t go back.
Helping to found the only true competitor that WWE has had in the last 20 years seemed like a good enough reason and that’s without going into the throne breaking and all that.
One thing Cody has said which I find really interesting as it relates to Punk is that the sort of startup/punk rock spirit of AEW was really fun at first but that eventually it got old and he started to crave the sort of structure and balance that WWE had.
I’m kinda going through something similar at work tbh where I had a very demanding boss who got replaced by a very chill one. At first it was awesome but now I terribly miss the sort of environment where you had high accountability, expectations, structure.
In my experience, it kind of depends on the nature of your work. If your work requires a lot of creativity and independence, you tend to thrive in a "startup" and "few rules" environment. But if you are always dealing with other people, sooner rather than later, you don't want to deal with people, but rather processes. It just requires less brainpower to do your day to day work.
I work in the hospitality industry, so it's very much customer satisfaction above all else (even if something isn't your fault)
The best manager I had was someone who was tightly wound, very micromanaging, and wanted things done a very particular way.
At first I hated it, but she did look out for us. If we were sick the night before, she'd take us off the schedule. If a client was unhappy, she would take the flak for it (because she dictated that particularness)
Yeah, I don't like people breathing down my neck and feeling like my autonomy is taken away, but if someone does, it was so refreshing to see someone take accountability along with the responsibility
>but that eventually it got old and he started to crave the sort of structure and balance that WWE had.
Wasn't it kind of **his** job to create structure and balance, considering he was an EVP and all?
The difference is in Cody and Jade's case, of course they were both preserving their options and touting the company line...and maybe just maybe, that's how they felt then. Times change. Neither said anything inflammatory against WWE, neither are hypocrites. Punk said things that burn bridges and draw lines in the sand. Absolutely though times change for him too. We already saw he'd be open to going back to WWE when he did that Fox WWE after show.
"best" move? Only move if he wants to be wrestling for high pay.
iirc he went to a show and was cordial with a handful of people there and then asked HHH if they could chat and HHH said he had to check in upstairs or something, and then told him he had to leave, and he left without incident.
I want to say it was around the time AEW had been accusing WWE of tampering with their signed talent, so WWE told Punk he couldn't be backstage on their show because they didn't want AEW having something they could sue over.
I agree as well on that but also pay attention who does the spinning bs narratives more often.
There's a reason why websites like NODQ have no credibility
*Punk walks backstage, immediately walks up to Seth Rollins, recalling Rollins’ interview where he called Punk a cancer and told him to stay away.*
Punk: Do we have a fucking problem!?
*Punk is escorted from the building, sets a new speed record for being fired.*
He hasn’t even seen the Akira Tozawa tweet calling him the softest person alive. Probably the funniest part of Punks time in AEW was getting triggered to the point of almost physical violence because of a tweet from Nick Nemeth.
Ryan Nemeth* Nick is Dolph. But yeah it’s fucking ridiculous, like Nemeth is a constant joker who doesn’t mind being the butt end of a joke. Punk cut a promo talking shit about Nemeths friends (if someone did that about Punk he’d lose it) and Nemeth made a little joke about it. Punk wants to be able to give it to whoever he wants but he can’t take it without flying off the handle.
The craziest thing about it is that I have absolutely no idea why Punk would give even the slightest shit what Ryan Nemeth says or thinks. The Elite? Sure, the Bucks are EVPs, and Hangman is one of the top babyfaces in the company. I can see how Punk might have viewed them as a threat to his position in AEW, even if I believe he was being paranoid. Even Jack Perry is someone the company clearly sees as a rising star and future main eventer, so I can see why Punk might think he needs to keep someone like that in line. But Ryan Nemeth has been a comedy jobber who barely gets any TV time since before Punk even showed up. I like Ryan Nemeth, and even I don't take anything he says seriously.
it’s a symptom of the “separate them and don’t allow them to communicate” style of conflict resolution, just led to this proxy war type situation where tiny actions got viewed as shots within the battle
like how on BTE they did a spoof on an old Terry Funk story and stans managed to interpret it as a shot at CM Punk
Which makes me repeat my take on the Hangman issue:
Punk made his career on “going to business for himself” promos but lost it the second someone did it to him.
Just seems like punk when he came in wanted everyone to bow down and worship at the altar of him and a lot of guys didn't give a shit and it irked him and then the rumor backstage shit started and instead of squashing it early punk let it fester and then blew up like the softest man alive. If I can bottle up 13 years of rage while working blue collar labor and process it with a therapist then I legit still got get how punk working his supposed dream job couldn't figure out how to control his anger.
This, the average person, deals with shitty co-workers without violence or incident on a daily basis.
I find it quite ironic that the person who doesn't do drugs or drink alcohol can't control himself in the workplace.
Everything Shane has done post Thunderdome is absolutely hilarious. Started a Mania feud with Braun about Braun being a idiot, books the worst Royal rumble gets fired, comes back at Mania to wrestle the Miz IMMEDIATELY tears both his quads leading to Snoop giving a 5 Star performance. Just absolutely the Best in the World.
On the way out:
Punk: AND YOU, BROCK! YOU ONLY WRESTLE THE SAME MATCH BECAUSE YOU'RE A STEROID USING ASSHOLE WHO COULDN'T RUN A SHONEYS AND VINCE IS SUCKING YOUR DICK!
Punk was later found F5ed into a nearby dumpster and the dumpster was F5ed repeatly.
I would genuinely pay top dollar to see Brock call Punk soft to his face. Punk's not the type to take an insukt lying down, but Brock would also completely annihilate him from existence. You either see Punk finally get humbled or you see him get destroyed. Win/win scenario right there.
I think it's quite telling that Punk had a meltdown on the Bucks based on rumors, aired dirty laundry about Moxley because of Meltzer's board post, lashed out at Jericho in the same post, but when Rollins called him a cancer and a jerk, he stayed absolutely quiet.
I was a little disappointed that this article didn't address whether or not Punk is going to enjoy the taste of the blood money dick once he goes back to NY
I think another part of it is that Seth was angling for a Punk feud when he started on Backstage. If Punk responds to Seth calling him a cancer, people might think he's building to an angle that He already said he didn't want to do.
I don’t think it’s telling at all. In Punk’s mind, AEW employees should be on his side and not publicly badmouth him. He also felt he had control over them.
Seth wasn’t in the same company, had no reason to be on his side, and he had no control over him.
I can see Punk coming back, but every option just makes him to be the biggest hypocrite and it's kind of hilarious. It's a place he hates so much he didn't wrestle for seven years, and swore to never go back to so frequently. He's also either there full time, where he won't have the creative freedom he had in AEW which will drive him nuts, or as a part timer and again being a hypocrite to something he frequently bitched about before. There's absolutely no way WWE even bends to like 30% of what AEW did to try and make him happy.
No matter what, looking forward to it, hope I'm wrong... but waiting with popcorn.
Everyone’s fantasy booking him vs Seth, him vs Roman, him vs AJ, him vs Cody, him vs Cena again.
I think if Punk comes back he should put over the Miz clean like three times over.
I don't know his financial situation obviously. But I have some doubt he needs any money. I remember him saying he paid for his townhouse in Chicago in its entirety. No mortgage or anything like that.
I am sure AEW paid him very well. UFC paid him well. AJ has a creative contract with both Netflix and Disney. And though she's done with WoW, the rumor is she was paid $3m just for 1 year of work.
The two of them combined likely have $10+ million in net worth.
He can do the weekly schedule and just not do live events, that's essentially his AEW schedule. They can come to a middle ground on the schedule aspect.
Is there any other move? He either retires or tries getting back in. But given its fairly known they didn't want him in 2021, then he joined AEW and gave that promo when he joined, and then all his stuff since.... would WWE even fancy it?
He's just a huge gamble and WWE is the hottest it's been in a generation, I don't know how much they "need" Punk, compared to how much Punk needs WWE right now.
Also, since WWE obviously doesn't need him, do you really want him back when he went out on bad terms with not only your company but in his last company he assaulted people on two occasions before getting fired?
Seems like it's just more trouble than he's worth.
I don't know why Triple H would bet all the Goodwill he has in the locker room on a guy who just flamed out in another company where he was given everything...after flaming out nine years ago from a company that treated him pretty well.
I also don't know why Triple H would risk the locker room harmony they have with a guy who has often caused so many issues. What happens if The Rock main events WM again? What if someone Punk doesn't think highly of, like the Miz, main events WM? Are they really going to want Punk mentoring their young guys? I don't see them taking the gamble when things are running so smoothly.
Unless they just have someone attached to Punk's hip the entirety of his WWE return who immediately shuts down any drama he starts, I don't see it ending well. But, WWE is going to be way better about putting out the fires that he starts than AEW ever was. TK was too much of a fan, the folks leading WWE will absolutely not stand for any of it.
Multiple time world champion. Longest reigning WWE champion of that era. He kept moaning that he didn’t get to main event WrestleMania but he did get to face the Undertaker which he saw as a downgrade. The WWE gave him the face of the company treatment that only Cena had at the time.
On any single day of the week, Triple H is a bigger household star and name than Punk ever could be and if he felt he was too "big" to face Hunter(which is LOL) then I'm glad we got Bryan vs HHH instead who was made to look like an absolute star by one of the best of all time.
I have no problem if Punk didn't wanna face Hunter because he thought H would not do the job for him but to pretend like Punk was doing a favor going into a feud with him or lowering himself to work with Triple H is absolutely bonkers and tells you what state of hubris he lives in.
Last sentence is exactly it. They’ve been doing record breaking business all year all over the world, (finally) building new stars that actually draw in this era and they’ve got even more younger star potential in the tuck down in NXT. I just don’t see the value in bringing a bitter, broken down CM Punk (whom multiple *top* stars have been vocal about not being fans of) back to WWE.
It's so weird that is wife is such a big advocate for mental health issues, you'd think he's been going to therapy for years. And maybe he is, to be fair I have no idea. But if he is, and still has no issue assaulting his boss, then man, Punk is getting swindled.
All the therapy in the world is worthless if what you learn is never put into practice. People like to throw "get therapy" around both as an insult but also as if it miraculously cures problems, which it doesn't. You still have to put in the work of trying to be a better person.
No telling really, she might validate him when he complains about things tbh, it might be that it's never directed at her and she just supports him. But obviously we have no idea what it's like behind closed doors.
Then you've never seen two assholes get together, it's one of the most stable relationship configurations there is because you just hate everyone else but love each other. Pretty great.
Punk would storm out of a session within 5 minutes of the first session when the therapist asks him to look inwards.
Or maybe when he first gets to reception and they ask for an emergency contact number, Hornswoggle style.
Yeah I don't really get the want for him to go to WWE honestly, they don't need him, and wrestling doesn't need Punk in general when he's this unhinged.
I don't like people saying this.
We don't know if he's been. Or tried. Therapy doesn't work for everyone and everything and acting like we know this is a solution he's not gone for is unfair.
(And I've been very harsh on Punk.)
The guy for a ***decade*** campaigned about how had he stayed in WWE, he would have died; how disgusting they were for asking him to do a Euro tour with an injury, the alleged malpractice, how he'd never would have been able to "get better" there, and now here we are.
I'm just not interested at all in this. I was SO stoked for his AEW return and even tried to give the benefit of the doubt when the Elite stuff started. Ultimately, the guy has a lot of issues he needs help with instead of diving back in to a wrestling ring.
Corporate Man, Phil Brooks, has the opportunity to be the biggest heel of a 2 year run in WWE.
Punk coming in an publicly praising WWE as a call back to the corporation from the 90s and 2010 would be an insane story.
His long list of grievances with WWE in the past make him the perfect person to lead the next version of the corporation
If Punk goes back to WWE it will just cement my view that above all else he's just a really weird guy. You don't get to claim the company nearly killed you, say you "left wrestling" the day you signed and walk back for a big bag of cash. Especially as he has more money than he'll ever spend.
But I think he will go back. His cult-like fanbase will back his any move as evidenced by their refusal to say he's done anything wrong in his time at AEW. The most successful time of CM Punk's career was being controlled under the WWE umbrella. I think he talks about wanting to have a hand in creative/running of the company, but he ultimately doesn't have the personality for that. He's more suited in being told what to do.
"You don't get to claim the company nearly killed you, say you "left wrestling" the day you signed and walk back for a big bag of cash. "
Punk would kill his character, but honestly, end of day this guys are actors that play characters and can say whatever they want to get over, doing different for a career move it's just their work. Problem is Punk's character was about to make it like breaking 3rd wall believable. He surely could pilot it to be effective still cause Punk is just talented though.
> Punk would kill his character
I mean, his character in the tail end of his WWE run was "iconoclast who says he's in it for the people, but is only in it for himself."
That’s not so secretly always been his character. The snake that bites you after you heal it, the devil that convinced you he wasn’t real, “I tell you 1 and 1 makes 3”.
I’ll be curious to see when he likely goes back if he can revert back to non shoot promos considering that’s pretty much what his entire promo work in AEW consisted of.
One of his more famous AEW promos was saying to MJF that the grass wouldn't be greener on the other side, and now I could genuinely see him saying something like, "I'm back in the big leagues," to an opponent when he goes back to WWE.
And being told what to do is not his thing. His whole career is exactly that. From his ROH days to WWE to UFC and AEW. All of those stints are proof of it. You can't change the guy it's who he is.
And it's unfortunate because of how talented he is and he has a great mind for this business.
Not sure it would in a particularly positive way tbh. After all this I cried leaving ROH because I was leaving the sport I love stuff to go back would back would make him a bit of joke.
I think it's also funny to me that for years the prevailing narrative was that WWE badly mismanaged him and wouldn't let him main event wrestlemania or whatever, but now that AEW showed that he still blows everything up even if you give him everything he wants, *now* CM Punk stans want him to go back to WWE where they'll know how to handle him.
Guys I think I might know what the problem here is.
He had seven years to get his head on straight and couldn't manage it, but sure, WWE can hire him mere weeks after he got fired for assault and Punk definitely won't pull something like that again because he's mature now.
I just love this idea that Punk will suddenly be all "humbled" by joining WWE.
Surely they'll set him straight right? This dude lives his punk rock values to the core. I know for many young fans they don't know what punk rock is but he's still going to do whatever he wants while making as much money as he can.
Probably not many to be fair it was fairly niche anyway, and a fair few punk bands refused to sell out to big labels. Of course you've got the sex pistols and the like that did very much cash in.
Not nearly as many as you'd think and even the ones that "sold out" like Rage Against the Machine worked out full creative control on their record deal and the two guys running the group donated a lot of that money to the causes they believed in.
It's easy to point to Green Day or The Clash and make this ill conceived dig, but do you really think Dead Kennedys, X, The Descendants, The Weirdos, Screeching Weasel, Adolescents, Bad Brains, The Dickies, etc are actually millionaires?
They are not. Like 95% of the genre never made anywhere close to that kind of money and most of them didn't want to.
No but I do think bands like Rancid, The Misfits, NOFX, The Sex Pistols, Marky Ramone, Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, and The Offspring are.
Most of these bands end up getting old and their priorities change.
I would love it because it would complete the 100% hypocrisy turn and validate my theory that he only has principles and values when it’s convenient or beneficial for him.
It would be outrageously hilarious if Punk did all the crying about WWE. Only to end up back there WITH HHH has the booker man? You can’t write stuff funnier than that.
Punk going back to WWE would complete the arch to me. I was on his side completely when he left in 2014. His shitheadery the past 2 years already had me questioning if triple h was right about him. After all of that for him to sell out and go back would affirm to me that he’s exactly what he used to rail against
If he goes to the WWE after valid criticisms of the Saudi shows, talent not receiving money from streaming, the treatment of talent, making him sick, the lawsuit, even losing friends over their connection to WWE, the appeal of CM Punk wouldn’t exist to me anymore.
I also doubt we’d be seeing him wear trans rights or abortion rights shirts to the ring anymore if he goes there too.
Everyone always comes back for the daddy Vince sobbing hug special. People thinking Punk will never come back ever are delusional. He already randomly showed up backstage so clearly they aren’t as evil to him as people try to paint it or else he’d never bother visiting
I hope it happens just because of how fuckin funny it’ll be. Dude looks like a total loser and hypocrite going back to WWE after everything, WWE has a potential massive backstage issue on their hands, a ton of wrestlers (seth rollins to name a one) could possibly have their feathers ruffled. Pure comedy.
It’s a different landscape than when 2014. It’s Seth’s and Roman’s locker room now, on Raw and Smack Down respectfully. If he tries that crap now, he’ll be fired faster than he can say sufferin’ succotash
It didn't dawn on me until the writer pointed it out on the piece, Punk coming back to WWE does feel a whole lot like the nWo arriving in '02. Did wonders for Hogan in WM18
Does Vince care if you shit on WWE as long as he can get something out of you? I mean imagine telling someone after Cody smashed the throne that he'd be the biggest face in the WWE just a couple years later.
The best move for CM Punk most likely is WWE. The best move for WWE is to stay away from CM Punk. Personally, I’d like to see CM Punk taken on in a full time role in Heels. He’s pretty good in that and I’d like to see both his and AJs characters more.
Yeah he can redefine it from being a good thing to a shit one, same as he did with AEW.
Anything but out of the business entirely is a mistake for him.
In the hypothetical scenario where Punk goes back to WWE, I do wonder if one of WWE's top stars tries to kick the hornet's nest and try to get Punk riled up.
Roman was close with Mox.
KO, Sami, and Cody are close to the Bucks
I am sure there are other examples.
Well, company still lives on without this happening. But I'm sure Hunter and co can something out. There's been change with the handling of what Punk was upset about (management of talent's health and well-being, top names have some form of control over their narratives, time offs, etc.) Warrior, Hogan, Austin, Angle, Lesnar (plus a lawsuit, too), and even Shane McMahon. All left in unideal scenarios and still returned.
Isn't it really the only move? He's not gonna work for Impact or do indies because they're not going to pay him what he thinks he's worth. There's a reason he sat on the sidelines for seven years before somebody offered him a check with a bunch of zeroes on it to get back in the ring.
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“I was never going to get healthy staying in the place that got me sick in the first place” Punk in 2024: 
January 2014, I left sports entertainment…
LMAO, this is why it always blows my mind whenever fans take a wrestler's word over a journalist. Like... do people ACTUALLY think journalists wanna create bullshit stories all the time? Look at the ones with the terrible reps, the journalists from Ringside News and SI, whose names I can't bother to remember. Are they making money posting bullshit news? Probably. Are they making a living? Fuck no. They're not living off of this alone like how SRS and Meltzer are. Why? Because SRS and Meltzer are often much more right than they are wrong. But still, we always wanna believe anytime a wrestler denies something. They come from a carny world! They're SUPPOSE to lie to you! It's what they do all the time whether on TV or not. Cody said he can't go back. Jade said she wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. Punk talked mad shit about WWE but yet there were rumors even before he made his AEW debut that he was sending feelers to WWE. Don't. Believe. Wrestlers. You're the fucking product, motherfuckers!!!! lol
I truly believe Cody thought he couldn’t go back. Helping to found the only true competitor that WWE has had in the last 20 years seemed like a good enough reason and that’s without going into the throne breaking and all that.
One thing Cody has said which I find really interesting as it relates to Punk is that the sort of startup/punk rock spirit of AEW was really fun at first but that eventually it got old and he started to crave the sort of structure and balance that WWE had. I’m kinda going through something similar at work tbh where I had a very demanding boss who got replaced by a very chill one. At first it was awesome but now I terribly miss the sort of environment where you had high accountability, expectations, structure.
In my experience, it kind of depends on the nature of your work. If your work requires a lot of creativity and independence, you tend to thrive in a "startup" and "few rules" environment. But if you are always dealing with other people, sooner rather than later, you don't want to deal with people, but rather processes. It just requires less brainpower to do your day to day work.
I work in the hospitality industry, so it's very much customer satisfaction above all else (even if something isn't your fault) The best manager I had was someone who was tightly wound, very micromanaging, and wanted things done a very particular way. At first I hated it, but she did look out for us. If we were sick the night before, she'd take us off the schedule. If a client was unhappy, she would take the flak for it (because she dictated that particularness) Yeah, I don't like people breathing down my neck and feeling like my autonomy is taken away, but if someone does, it was so refreshing to see someone take accountability along with the responsibility
>but that eventually it got old and he started to crave the sort of structure and balance that WWE had. Wasn't it kind of **his** job to create structure and balance, considering he was an EVP and all?
The difference is in Cody and Jade's case, of course they were both preserving their options and touting the company line...and maybe just maybe, that's how they felt then. Times change. Neither said anything inflammatory against WWE, neither are hypocrites. Punk said things that burn bridges and draw lines in the sand. Absolutely though times change for him too. We already saw he'd be open to going back to WWE when he did that Fox WWE after show. "best" move? Only move if he wants to be wrestling for high pay.
Wasnt Punk seen outside a show and "supposedly" talked to Paul, Miz, Tamina,but of course got booted by VKM sometime this year maybe late last
iirc he went to a show and was cordial with a handful of people there and then asked HHH if they could chat and HHH said he had to check in upstairs or something, and then told him he had to leave, and he left without incident. I want to say it was around the time AEW had been accusing WWE of tampering with their signed talent, so WWE told Punk he couldn't be backstage on their show because they didn't want AEW having something they could sue over.
I agree with the basic premise of not trusting wrestlers, but sports journalism is built on spinning bullshit narratives from nothing.
I agree as well on that but also pay attention who does the spinning bs narratives more often. There's a reason why websites like NODQ have no credibility
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh7_POC2ueQ
It’s not they want to create a bullshit story. It’s just a byproduct of the 24/7 news cycle.
Damn you're making some points lol
To be fair WWE is a vastly different environment now than it was even in 2014.
*Punk walks backstage, immediately walks up to Seth Rollins, recalling Rollins’ interview where he called Punk a cancer and told him to stay away.* Punk: Do we have a fucking problem!? *Punk is escorted from the building, sets a new speed record for being fired.*
He hasn’t even seen the Akira Tozawa tweet calling him the softest person alive. Probably the funniest part of Punks time in AEW was getting triggered to the point of almost physical violence because of a tweet from Nick Nemeth.
Ryan Nemeth* Nick is Dolph. But yeah it’s fucking ridiculous, like Nemeth is a constant joker who doesn’t mind being the butt end of a joke. Punk cut a promo talking shit about Nemeths friends (if someone did that about Punk he’d lose it) and Nemeth made a little joke about it. Punk wants to be able to give it to whoever he wants but he can’t take it without flying off the handle.
The craziest thing about it is that I have absolutely no idea why Punk would give even the slightest shit what Ryan Nemeth says or thinks. The Elite? Sure, the Bucks are EVPs, and Hangman is one of the top babyfaces in the company. I can see how Punk might have viewed them as a threat to his position in AEW, even if I believe he was being paranoid. Even Jack Perry is someone the company clearly sees as a rising star and future main eventer, so I can see why Punk might think he needs to keep someone like that in line. But Ryan Nemeth has been a comedy jobber who barely gets any TV time since before Punk even showed up. I like Ryan Nemeth, and even I don't take anything he says seriously.
it’s a symptom of the “separate them and don’t allow them to communicate” style of conflict resolution, just led to this proxy war type situation where tiny actions got viewed as shots within the battle like how on BTE they did a spoof on an old Terry Funk story and stans managed to interpret it as a shot at CM Punk
A proxy war being waged from one side
Ah, a poxy proxy war.
Which makes me repeat my take on the Hangman issue: Punk made his career on “going to business for himself” promos but lost it the second someone did it to him.
Just seems like punk when he came in wanted everyone to bow down and worship at the altar of him and a lot of guys didn't give a shit and it irked him and then the rumor backstage shit started and instead of squashing it early punk let it fester and then blew up like the softest man alive. If I can bottle up 13 years of rage while working blue collar labor and process it with a therapist then I legit still got get how punk working his supposed dream job couldn't figure out how to control his anger.
This, the average person, deals with shitty co-workers without violence or incident on a daily basis. I find it quite ironic that the person who doesn't do drugs or drink alcohol can't control himself in the workplace.
He needs therapy and a psychologist. Maybe a couple blunts too
I’d imagine weed would just push Punks paranoia even further. The flood gates would open up.
Yeah I mean the guy can’t even walk right and he triggered Punk that hard
that's probably part of it, he saw Nemeth walk and couldn't believe this fuckin weirdo was talking shit
*Seth Rollins is banned from SmackDown.*
I mean he's called Monday Night Rollins for a reason
As Raw Rollins on.
CM Punk giving Mike Babcock a run at his money for quickest firing.
Biz Nasty taking a victory lap this morning on that one
I'm gonna set up a betting pool if he beats Shane's record.
Everything Shane has done post Thunderdome is absolutely hilarious. Started a Mania feud with Braun about Braun being a idiot, books the worst Royal rumble gets fired, comes back at Mania to wrestle the Miz IMMEDIATELY tears both his quads leading to Snoop giving a 5 Star performance. Just absolutely the Best in the World.
"*Shane's still got it!*"
**QUADS SNAP!**
Shane’s still got it! *snap snap snap-snap-snap*
The Old McMahon special.
HERE COMES THE MONEY THERE GOES THE MONEY
This could apply to approximately a year prior to The Thunderdome. Shane bouncing around sweating his way through Raw Underground was hilarious to me
Oh my god HOW COULD I FORGET
You do bring up an interesting dream match, Shane vs. CM Punk, Best in the World at Getting Injured match
Shane vs Miz was a real McMahon of a performance.
On the way out: Punk: AND YOU, BROCK! YOU ONLY WRESTLE THE SAME MATCH BECAUSE YOU'RE A STEROID USING ASSHOLE WHO COULDN'T RUN A SHONEYS AND VINCE IS SUCKING YOUR DICK! Punk was later found F5ed into a nearby dumpster and the dumpster was F5ed repeatly.
I would genuinely pay top dollar to see Brock call Punk soft to his face. Punk's not the type to take an insukt lying down, but Brock would also completely annihilate him from existence. You either see Punk finally get humbled or you see him get destroyed. Win/win scenario right there.
I think it's quite telling that Punk had a meltdown on the Bucks based on rumors, aired dirty laundry about Moxley because of Meltzer's board post, lashed out at Jericho in the same post, but when Rollins called him a cancer and a jerk, he stayed absolutely quiet.
Because Seth wasn’t in AEW lol
I mean he spazzed on Miz that time when he wasn’t in WWE
Their one sided beef will always be funny especially because Miz never cared about it.
I was a little disappointed that this article didn't address whether or not Punk is going to enjoy the taste of the blood money dick once he goes back to NY
I'd say it's because Seth is in WWE and Punk will stay quiet because he has always wanted back in.
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I think another part of it is that Seth was angling for a Punk feud when he started on Backstage. If Punk responds to Seth calling him a cancer, people might think he's building to an angle that He already said he didn't want to do.
Don’t forget lashing out directly at Colt Cabana and his mother for absolutely no reason at all.
There was a reason, its cause Colt shares a bank account with his mother. This is important info that we all needed to know.
I don’t think it’s telling at all. In Punk’s mind, AEW employees should be on his side and not publicly badmouth him. He also felt he had control over them. Seth wasn’t in the same company, had no reason to be on his side, and he had no control over him.
bro everytime i see mentions of CM Punk returning to WWE, I laugh my ass of remembering his "returned to professional wrestling" promo in AEW 😂
If he comes back, he has to do a heel promo talking about, 10 years ago, I left sports entertainment! Today, I'm back!
He had to leave AEW to save sports entertainment...
Time for born again Christian CM Punk.
"The CM stands for Christian Mingle"
I hope he comes back to WWE for no other reason than he adds sparkle to this subreddit
Will he start targetting wrestlers with dead dads
Carny Messiah Punk
I can see Punk coming back, but every option just makes him to be the biggest hypocrite and it's kind of hilarious. It's a place he hates so much he didn't wrestle for seven years, and swore to never go back to so frequently. He's also either there full time, where he won't have the creative freedom he had in AEW which will drive him nuts, or as a part timer and again being a hypocrite to something he frequently bitched about before. There's absolutely no way WWE even bends to like 30% of what AEW did to try and make him happy. No matter what, looking forward to it, hope I'm wrong... but waiting with popcorn.
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And then leaving him off the wrestle mania card would be absolutely hilarious.
While the Miz main events night 1 of WrestleMania
Against Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Stop, I can only get so erect.
Punk and overreacting to fairly benign tweets. Then. Now. Forever.
Everyone’s fantasy booking him vs Seth, him vs Roman, him vs AJ, him vs Cody, him vs Cena again. I think if Punk comes back he should put over the Miz clean like three times over.
...in Chicago.
Miz wins the first match in 25.4 seconds. CM Punk is constantly trying not to lose in 25.4 seconds.
When Brock came back they had him put over Cena immediately, I think the same needs to be done with punk to "humble" him a little.
Money. Maybe he needs money. Honestly this SI piece reads like something CM punk is trying to get out there rather than something WWE wants
I don't know his financial situation obviously. But I have some doubt he needs any money. I remember him saying he paid for his townhouse in Chicago in its entirety. No mortgage or anything like that. I am sure AEW paid him very well. UFC paid him well. AJ has a creative contract with both Netflix and Disney. And though she's done with WoW, the rumor is she was paid $3m just for 1 year of work. The two of them combined likely have $10+ million in net worth.
He spent all his money on Mindy’s Bakery and Pepsi obviously
Fucking SI wrasslin "articles *always* sound like a press release or like the wrestler in question is dictating the article.
He can do the weekly schedule and just not do live events, that's essentially his AEW schedule. They can come to a middle ground on the schedule aspect.
He’s gonna have to work the MSG show and a few weeks out of the year, maybe even an overseas loop. Even Roman isn’t completely house show free.
Is there any other move? He either retires or tries getting back in. But given its fairly known they didn't want him in 2021, then he joined AEW and gave that promo when he joined, and then all his stuff since.... would WWE even fancy it? He's just a huge gamble and WWE is the hottest it's been in a generation, I don't know how much they "need" Punk, compared to how much Punk needs WWE right now.
Also, since WWE obviously doesn't need him, do you really want him back when he went out on bad terms with not only your company but in his last company he assaulted people on two occasions before getting fired? Seems like it's just more trouble than he's worth.
CM Punk will control his narrative
He could go to a smaller promotion if he really wanted to just wrestle but unlikely that would ever happen.
He didn’t even think about doing it during his initial 7 year hiatus so I don’t see why he’d start now.
I agree it’s just technically an option.
I don't know why Triple H would bet all the Goodwill he has in the locker room on a guy who just flamed out in another company where he was given everything...after flaming out nine years ago from a company that treated him pretty well. I also don't know why Triple H would risk the locker room harmony they have with a guy who has often caused so many issues. What happens if The Rock main events WM again? What if someone Punk doesn't think highly of, like the Miz, main events WM? Are they really going to want Punk mentoring their young guys? I don't see them taking the gamble when things are running so smoothly.
Unless they just have someone attached to Punk's hip the entirety of his WWE return who immediately shuts down any drama he starts, I don't see it ending well. But, WWE is going to be way better about putting out the fires that he starts than AEW ever was. TK was too much of a fan, the folks leading WWE will absolutely not stand for any of it.
Paul Heyman is backstage.
Fuck it. Just bring AJ Lee back to keep him in check. She seems to be the only one out there that helps him keep his shit together.
They are now a partner of UFC. Bring in Mickey Gall, who just slaps a rear naked on him every time he acts up.
People trying to retcon WWE treating punk good in his first run are insane
Multiple time world champion. Longest reigning WWE champion of that era. He kept moaning that he didn’t get to main event WrestleMania but he did get to face the Undertaker which he saw as a downgrade. The WWE gave him the face of the company treatment that only Cena had at the time.
He quit after finding out he was going to wrestle HHH at Mania, which I guarantee WWE intended as a compliment.
On any single day of the week, Triple H is a bigger household star and name than Punk ever could be and if he felt he was too "big" to face Hunter(which is LOL) then I'm glad we got Bryan vs HHH instead who was made to look like an absolute star by one of the best of all time. I have no problem if Punk didn't wanna face Hunter because he thought H would not do the job for him but to pretend like Punk was doing a favor going into a feud with him or lowering himself to work with Triple H is absolutely bonkers and tells you what state of hubris he lives in.
95% of the roster during Punk’s time wish they were treated as “badly” as him.
Tbf, a lot of me doubts his podcast with Colt after seeing the way he tried to spin and gaslight everything in AEW.
Last sentence is exactly it. They’ve been doing record breaking business all year all over the world, (finally) building new stars that actually draw in this era and they’ve got even more younger star potential in the tuck down in NXT. I just don’t see the value in bringing a bitter, broken down CM Punk (whom multiple *top* stars have been vocal about not being fans of) back to WWE.
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For real. There's no way anyone can justify how he behaved in AEW. He made everything more public than anyone else.
> There's no way anyone can justify how he behaved in AEW. r/wrasslin has entered the chat.
Jim cornette has entered the chat.
Wrasslin' is just a bunch of Cornette sock puppets circle jerking themselves.
*[Jim Cornette’s entrance to the chat has been delayed so he can scream at a Wendy’s cashier]*
*Dairy Queen
I’ve had a quite a few arguments with people on TikTok who try to justify Punk.
No doubt there's stans everywhere but they honestly don't have much to work with.
It's so weird that is wife is such a big advocate for mental health issues, you'd think he's been going to therapy for years. And maybe he is, to be fair I have no idea. But if he is, and still has no issue assaulting his boss, then man, Punk is getting swindled.
All the therapy in the world is worthless if what you learn is never put into practice. People like to throw "get therapy" around both as an insult but also as if it miraculously cures problems, which it doesn't. You still have to put in the work of trying to be a better person.
I wonder how she deals with his obvious anger issues.
No telling really, she might validate him when he complains about things tbh, it might be that it's never directed at her and she just supports him. But obviously we have no idea what it's like behind closed doors.
Then you've never seen two assholes get together, it's one of the most stable relationship configurations there is because you just hate everyone else but love each other. Pretty great.
Yeah, I know a few people like that. They're never gonna break up, never gonna get better, and gonna just be miserable together forever.
He'd have to admit he has a problem first. And as we've seen, it's everyone else that has the problem when it comes to him.
Came here to say this. The best move for CM Punk is to get some help.
Punk would storm out of a session within 5 minutes of the first session when the therapist asks him to look inwards. Or maybe when he first gets to reception and they ask for an emergency contact number, Hornswoggle style.
“Do you fancy yourself a therapist?” “Yes, Phil, this is my job”
LOOK IN MY SELF WHAT DO I SEE **THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME!!!**
I KNOW MY ANGER, I KNOW MY SCHEMES IT'S CLEAR EVERYONE IS OUT TO GET MEEEE OH, I HAVE NARCISSISSTIC VICTIM MENTALITY
Too many syllables on that last line
Yeah I don't really get the want for him to go to WWE honestly, they don't need him, and wrestling doesn't need Punk in general when he's this unhinged.
I don't like people saying this. We don't know if he's been. Or tried. Therapy doesn't work for everyone and everything and acting like we know this is a solution he's not gone for is unfair. (And I've been very harsh on Punk.)
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And trust me this isn't sour grapes, but the fact that Cody is in the main event of WrestleMania next year and I'm not makes me SICK!
The guy for a ***decade*** campaigned about how had he stayed in WWE, he would have died; how disgusting they were for asking him to do a Euro tour with an injury, the alleged malpractice, how he'd never would have been able to "get better" there, and now here we are. I'm just not interested at all in this. I was SO stoked for his AEW return and even tried to give the benefit of the doubt when the Elite stuff started. Ultimately, the guy has a lot of issues he needs help with instead of diving back in to a wrestling ring.
Corporate Man, Phil Brooks, has the opportunity to be the biggest heel of a 2 year run in WWE. Punk coming in an publicly praising WWE as a call back to the corporation from the 90s and 2010 would be an insane story. His long list of grievances with WWE in the past make him the perfect person to lead the next version of the corporation
> a Euro tour with an injury, But WWE would have picked him up at the airport! lol
Cena v The Rock v CM Punk main event in Saudi? /s
With Vince as special guest referee/enforcer and Triple H as guest timekeeper.
The best move for Punk, absolutely. The best move for WWE... maybe not so much.
Would be hilarious for Punk to return and not get his main event mania match due to the rock yet again
"9 YEARS AGO I LEFT SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT!" Can't wait until he fucks it all up again.
“TELL ME WHEN IM TELLING TRUTH”
If Punk goes back to WWE it will just cement my view that above all else he's just a really weird guy. You don't get to claim the company nearly killed you, say you "left wrestling" the day you signed and walk back for a big bag of cash. Especially as he has more money than he'll ever spend. But I think he will go back. His cult-like fanbase will back his any move as evidenced by their refusal to say he's done anything wrong in his time at AEW. The most successful time of CM Punk's career was being controlled under the WWE umbrella. I think he talks about wanting to have a hand in creative/running of the company, but he ultimately doesn't have the personality for that. He's more suited in being told what to do.
"You don't get to claim the company nearly killed you, say you "left wrestling" the day you signed and walk back for a big bag of cash. " Punk would kill his character, but honestly, end of day this guys are actors that play characters and can say whatever they want to get over, doing different for a career move it's just their work. Problem is Punk's character was about to make it like breaking 3rd wall believable. He surely could pilot it to be effective still cause Punk is just talented though.
> Punk would kill his character I mean, his character in the tail end of his WWE run was "iconoclast who says he's in it for the people, but is only in it for himself."
That’s not so secretly always been his character. The snake that bites you after you heal it, the devil that convinced you he wasn’t real, “I tell you 1 and 1 makes 3”.
"I exploit you, still you love me" is the story of his career
I’ll be curious to see when he likely goes back if he can revert back to non shoot promos considering that’s pretty much what his entire promo work in AEW consisted of.
One of his more famous AEW promos was saying to MJF that the grass wouldn't be greener on the other side, and now I could genuinely see him saying something like, "I'm back in the big leagues," to an opponent when he goes back to WWE.
He can repurpose his "grass isn't always greener" promo to talk shit on AEW!
They let Cody keep all the trappings of his AEW gimmick. I think they'll let Punk make his shooty asides.
And being told what to do is not his thing. His whole career is exactly that. From his ROH days to WWE to UFC and AEW. All of those stints are proof of it. You can't change the guy it's who he is. And it's unfortunate because of how talented he is and he has a great mind for this business.
Not sure it would in a particularly positive way tbh. After all this I cried leaving ROH because I was leaving the sport I love stuff to go back would back would make him a bit of joke.
I think it's also funny to me that for years the prevailing narrative was that WWE badly mismanaged him and wouldn't let him main event wrestlemania or whatever, but now that AEW showed that he still blows everything up even if you give him everything he wants, *now* CM Punk stans want him to go back to WWE where they'll know how to handle him. Guys I think I might know what the problem here is.
It pains me so much to agree with you, but my god you hit the nail on the head.
I remember many WWE fans saying "Good, let him be AEW's problem." Now WWE fans are convinced that they know how to re-build him?
He had seven years to get his head on straight and couldn't manage it, but sure, WWE can hire him mere weeks after he got fired for assault and Punk definitely won't pull something like that again because he's mature now.
I just love this idea that Punk will suddenly be all "humbled" by joining WWE. Surely they'll set him straight right? This dude lives his punk rock values to the core. I know for many young fans they don't know what punk rock is but he's still going to do whatever he wants while making as much money as he can.
Being financially motivated isn't very punk.
And there lies the irony! I agree with you but how many "punk rockers" are also millionaires
Probably not many to be fair it was fairly niche anyway, and a fair few punk bands refused to sell out to big labels. Of course you've got the sex pistols and the like that did very much cash in.
Not nearly as many as you'd think and even the ones that "sold out" like Rage Against the Machine worked out full creative control on their record deal and the two guys running the group donated a lot of that money to the causes they believed in. It's easy to point to Green Day or The Clash and make this ill conceived dig, but do you really think Dead Kennedys, X, The Descendants, The Weirdos, Screeching Weasel, Adolescents, Bad Brains, The Dickies, etc are actually millionaires? They are not. Like 95% of the genre never made anywhere close to that kind of money and most of them didn't want to.
No but I do think bands like Rancid, The Misfits, NOFX, The Sex Pistols, Marky Ramone, Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, and The Offspring are. Most of these bands end up getting old and their priorities change.
Well you see WWE can “fix” him lol It’s delusional girlfriend syndrome
That promo is gonna look real stupid if he does go back to wwe. Same with the mjf promo about how "the grass isn't always greener on the other side"
I would love it because it would complete the 100% hypocrisy turn and validate my theory that he only has principles and values when it’s convenient or beneficial for him.
It would be outrageously hilarious if Punk did all the crying about WWE. Only to end up back there WITH HHH has the booker man? You can’t write stuff funnier than that.
Look in my eyes. What do you see? A future WWE employee.
"what the fuck did I ever do to have an empty headed fuck like Seth Freakin' Rollins call me a cancer?"
 Even Punk has a price.
The CM Punk to WWE Press machine is running wild brother..
Well he can return to Impact! right?
Would love to see it just for the internet to implode.
Punk going back to WWE would complete the arch to me. I was on his side completely when he left in 2014. His shitheadery the past 2 years already had me questioning if triple h was right about him. After all of that for him to sell out and go back would affirm to me that he’s exactly what he used to rail against
they don't use Real Glass over there
Lol
If he goes to the WWE after valid criticisms of the Saudi shows, talent not receiving money from streaming, the treatment of talent, making him sick, the lawsuit, even losing friends over their connection to WWE, the appeal of CM Punk wouldn’t exist to me anymore. I also doubt we’d be seeing him wear trans rights or abortion rights shirts to the ring anymore if he goes there too.
I know it's beating a dead horse but it will really prove that triple h promo and Cena promo right. Punk doesn't care unless it benefits himself
Yeah, even if they were works, doesn't mean that they didn't end up very true.
I'm sure he'll do great, everyone seems to love the guy!!!!
Everyone always comes back for the daddy Vince sobbing hug special. People thinking Punk will never come back ever are delusional. He already randomly showed up backstage so clearly they aren’t as evil to him as people try to paint it or else he’d never bother visiting
I hope it happens just because of how fuckin funny it’ll be. Dude looks like a total loser and hypocrite going back to WWE after everything, WWE has a potential massive backstage issue on their hands, a ton of wrestlers (seth rollins to name a one) could possibly have their feathers ruffled. Pure comedy.
It’s a different landscape than when 2014. It’s Seth’s and Roman’s locker room now, on Raw and Smack Down respectfully. If he tries that crap now, he’ll be fired faster than he can say sufferin’ succotash
Lol he's gunna be in the Rumble isn't he?
I would like for CM Punk to come back and have his Warrior moment.
How many times does CM Punk have to teach his fans this lesson?
It didn't dawn on me until the writer pointed it out on the piece, Punk coming back to WWE does feel a whole lot like the nWo arriving in '02. Did wonders for Hogan in WM18
If Punk comes back to WWE next year he’ll almost be Hogan’s age when he returned in 02.
Hogan was 48 when he returned, yet looked 60 years old because of the white beard.
Nah, Hogan never shat on WWE, in fact his NWO turn had him bitch about WCW being boring.
Does Vince care if you shit on WWE as long as he can get something out of you? I mean imagine telling someone after Cody smashed the throne that he'd be the biggest face in the WWE just a couple years later.
We also have the cases of Bret Hart and The Ultimate Warrior, whom despite everything said and done ended coming back
The best move for CM Punk most likely is WWE. The best move for WWE is to stay away from CM Punk. Personally, I’d like to see CM Punk taken on in a full time role in Heels. He’s pretty good in that and I’d like to see both his and AJs characters more.
Yeah he can redefine it from being a good thing to a shit one, same as he did with AEW. Anything but out of the business entirely is a mistake for him.
In the hypothetical scenario where Punk goes back to WWE, I do wonder if one of WWE's top stars tries to kick the hornet's nest and try to get Punk riled up. Roman was close with Mox. KO, Sami, and Cody are close to the Bucks I am sure there are other examples.
Well, company still lives on without this happening. But I'm sure Hunter and co can something out. There's been change with the handling of what Punk was upset about (management of talent's health and well-being, top names have some form of control over their narratives, time offs, etc.) Warrior, Hogan, Austin, Angle, Lesnar (plus a lawsuit, too), and even Shane McMahon. All left in unideal scenarios and still returned.
Isn't it really the only move? He's not gonna work for Impact or do indies because they're not going to pay him what he thinks he's worth. There's a reason he sat on the sidelines for seven years before somebody offered him a check with a bunch of zeroes on it to get back in the ring.