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- Recently, CM Punk started a new controversy in a now-deleted Instagram post where he attacked AEW, Tony Khan, Jon Moxley, and Chris Jericho due to the decision to put Punk in a squash match against Jon Moxley last year when Punk claims that he hadn’t been cleared to return to action. CM Punk said the match idea sucked and he claimed that Moxley refused to lose to him. He went on to call Dave Meltzer a liar and Chris Jericho a liar and a stooge, before saying he would never put a company above his health ever again.
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It's fair to argue that CM Punk is among the biggest names on the AEW roster. He's certainly an attraction and his drawing power for fans is undeniable. At the same time, AEW has to be asking if he's worth the trouble that seems to follow him wherever he goes. For AEW President Tony Khan, he's got his hands full and while Khan can avoid dealing with a problem that might have been pushed down the road because of Punk's most recent injury, it's also fair to argue that perhaps AEW and Khan should wash their hands of "The Best in the World."
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UPDATE: 2023/03/29 13:30 EST BY SHAWN VAN HORN
Recently, CM Punk started a new controversy in a now-deleted Instagram post where he attacked AEW, Tony Khan, Jon Moxley, and Chris Jericho due to the decision to put Punk in a squash match against Jon Moxley last year when Punk claims that he hadn’t been cleared to return to action. CM Punk said the match idea sucked and he claimed that Moxley refused to lose to him. He went on to call Dave Meltzer a liar and Chris Jericho a liar and a stooge, before saying he would never put a company above his health ever again.
It's fair to argue that CM Punk is among the biggest names on the AEW roster. He's certainly an attraction and his drawing power for fans is undeniable. At the same time, AEW has to be asking if he's worth the trouble that seems to follow him wherever he goes. For AEW President Tony Khan, he's got his hands full and while Khan can avoid dealing with a problem that might have been pushed down the road because of Punk's most recent injury, it's also fair to argue that perhaps AEW and Khan should wash their hands of "The Best in the World."
It Didn't Take Long For Punk To Show His True Self
In just a year, Punk went from a bullet in the chamber for AEW to a nuclear bomb who seems to care less about how he hurts the company. He came in and said all the right things; that he wanted to work with the young roster and elevate them. He wanted to be a part of the great things he was seeing with a company that was changing the game and it was time to no longer sit on the sidelines, but help. One year later, Punk is sitting in a press conference telling the media and the fans that he's fu--ing tired and sore and that he's working with a bunch of "children". He embarrassed his boss while sitting right beside him and said that Tony Khan has him working with "pricks" all the time.
How did someone go from such a cheerleader for the brand to someone who seems so lackadaisical and aloof about a company that gave him millions of dollars to be a difference-maker? The answer is probably that the latter is the real CM Punk. Despite saying his friends will "catch him when he falls", he appears to be out only for himself. The minute things don't go his way, he's the first to complain and air his dirty laundry in public. If he's willing to blast his boss, the company he works for, and the rest of the roster whenever the time feels right, imagine what he'll continue to do during his full run with the company. That he's willing to jeopardize the money he's being paid means there's not much anyone can do or say that will get him to toe the company line and be an ambassador for the brand.
Punk Isn't Worth Alienating The Rest Of The Roster
Punk is a big deal. The question for AEW has to become, how big a deal, and is it worth it to make him happy if the rest of the roster isn't? He's made enemies out of people who, not that long ago, wanted him in AEW. So much so, he's calling them out and being hypocritical of their behavior, then fighting with them backstage. There's been chatter that The Young Bucks have sent out feelers to WWE in what appears to be rumored interest in exploring them as an option once their contracts expire. Who knows if anyone else is feeling the same way?
RELATED: 5 Biggest Allies Of CM Punk's Wrestling Career (& 5 Biggest Enemies)Does Khan seriously need to ask himself who he'd rather lose? Is Punk, who won't be a long-term fixture in AEW, the horse Khan should hitch his wagon too? Or, is the group of people who were instrumental in the launch of AEW and who sleep, eat and breathe that company, be the crew Khan wants to surround himself with? Punk may draw more now, but the shine on that contract will wear off. It's possible that it already has. Go with the members of the roster who are loyal to AEW. That clearly isn't Punk.
Punk Isn't As Good As He Thinks He Is
Listening to recent crowd responses, AEW fans have already turned on Punk in some respects. Even in Chicago, where Punk is a legend in the wrestling industry, it took Jon Moxley working hard and intentionally playing the role of the heel to get the fans universally on Punk's side. The reactions, at the very least, are often mixed. The live crowd is just as happy to cheer on someone like Moxley as they are Punk. They'll even get behind MJF before Punk and that's not a good sign for AEW if the idea is to make Punk a major babyface -- not that they'll be able to do that after his tirade anyway.
Punk's matches are also hit-and-miss. For being as good as he once was, he seems to have as many stinkers as he does memorable moments and his injury situation is a serious concern for the company. He can't seem to stay healthy and his run with two stints as the AEW Champion has lasted a total of six whole days.
If AEW is locked into a guaranteed contract, that changes the equation. But, if they can release him and get out of their deal, they should. WWE isn't going to go near Punk and no other company will likely meet his contract demands. There's no real risk in letting him go and seeing him pop up somewhere else. At the same time, the benefits of releasing him far outweigh the positives (potential money earned when he's healthy) of keeping him around.
There's No Longer A Place For CM Punk In Professional Wrestling
CM Punk's latest outburst should be the last straw. He can't be rehabilitated. He is a cancer that only sucks the life out of what should be fun.
CM Punk isn't the first impossible-to deal with person in wrestling. There have been many over the sport's history. One big example of this is Shawn Michaels. In the early 90s, he was notorious for his negative behavior. Almost none of his peers liked him, not just Bret Hart. Many have spoken out about this in the last few years, including HBK himself.
The one very important difference between then and now is that fans knew nothing about this when it was happening. There was no internet. There was no social media. Kayfabe was alive and well, and wrestlers kept their mouths shut about anything behind the scenes. Someone like Shawn Michaels was just something you put up with because of how great he was.
This is no longer the case. If you have a locker room diva like CM Punk causing issues, especially on camera for all to see, the workers no longer stay silent. In the 2020s, the tolerance for toxic behavior in the workplace is much lower, including wrestling. Today, kayfabe is long dead. Wrestlers will leak their opinions to dirt sheets, they'll tweet about it, or talk about it on their podcast. If even the reserved Jon Moxley speaks out, like he recently did on his wife's, Renee Paquette, The Sessions podcast, you know things are bad.
In the 90s and before, bad behavior from top stars was a negative that had to be accepted. Those days are over. That is a bygone era. CM Punk's attitude is from a bygone era. With all the secrets out in the open these days, there's no place for someone like him in professional wrestling any longer. It's time for his career to go to sleep.
