AEW signing CM Punk showed the promotion was here to stay by going after major free agents outside of WWE. Punk joining AEW is something fans thought about from the company’s start until it finally happened. The run has been a huge success so far with Punk still having strong matches and telling a superb story winning the AEW World Championship.
An injury taking him off television for months will see how Punk bounces back from a rare negative variable in his return to the ring. There are certain things about the legend that AEW likely wouldn’t want discussed as frequently. The following things fly under the radar on AEW’s side as they don’t want fans remembering each detail about Punk.
10 Past Heat With Jeff Hardy
CM Punk has a controversial past of having drama with multiple wrestlers he used to work with. Jeff Hardy and Punk had one of the best WWE rivalries of the late 2000s, but their on-screen issues ended up creating some genuine friction.
The straight edge heel comments from Punk bordered on offensive and cruel beyond normal heel work. Jeff admitted he didn’t enjoy Punk during some interviews after leaving WWE. The former enemies working in the same locker room is a fascinating story all these years later.
9 Insulting Chris Jericho For Asking Him To Do Podcast
Another wrestler to feel CM Punk’s wrath in the past was Chris Jericho. WWE booked them in a memorable feud, but the issues started a while afterwards when Punk left wrestling. An appearance on Colt Cabana’s podcast saw Punk sharing all his frustrations.
Jericho wasn’t one of his biggest enemies, but Punk threw some shade at Jericho being opportunistic asking him to appear on his podcast. The unspoken tension saw Jericho claiming he wasn’t trying anything shady, and the two are now co-workers again.
8 UFC Disappointment
CM Punk was hoping to leave wrestling in his past when taking the big leap of signing a UFC contract. The passion for MMA made Punk look to expand his career as an athlete by leaving the scripted side for real fights.
This experimented turned into a failure with Punk losing both his fights and suffering injuries along the way. Punk went 0-1-1 with one of the two losses being overturned into a no decision since his opponent tested positive for a drug test against UFC rules.
7 Previous Complaints About Older Wrestlers Getting Pushed
The outspoken nature of CM Punk made him among the first names to speak out in WWE when something controversial happened. Punk was always vocal about WWE over-pushing the older names that came around for the bigger shows.
Even though Punk is a full-time talent for AEW unlike most others he called out, the 43-year-old is as old as many names he called out in WWE. AEW is now pushing Punk due to his name value and star power like WWE did to his chagrin many years ago.
6 Solid Percentage Of Fans Booing Him For Hangman
AEW set up a unique atmosphere for the big CM Punk vs Adam Page title match. Both men remained faces while doing enough to upset the opposing wrestler’s fan base during the build. Hangman specifically called out Punk for various things that resonated with the AEW fan base.
Double or Nothing 2022 featured a split crowd in the main event cheering and booing both wrestlers. Punk receiving boos wasn’t unexpected, but it was the first time he any backlash in AEW. Time will tell if those fans will still hold criticism towards Punk after winning gold.
5 Comparing AEW Signings To New World Order
The early success of AEW saw them getting just about everyone they wanted on the free agent market. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole were all major signings to come within a few weeks of each other to truly show the growth of the company.
However, Punk decided to go a little too far when making a comparison to them matching the New World Order talents joining WCW. AEW has certainly benefited from their acquisitions, but the nWo was an all-time great attraction that helped WCW pass WWE for over a year.
4 Never Accomplishing His Top WWE Goal
CM Punk leaving WWE in such an unhappy context will always make that story interesting to fans. A top name choosing to walk out of WWE with a grudge captivated wrestling fans for years. Punk expressed multiple things that bothered him throughout his WWE career.
Many of these gripes were due to backstage issues and unexpected variables like his health. However, there was one on-screen displeasure of Punk wanting to achieve his dream of main eventing WrestleMania. Punk never getting to truly close his WWE chapter as desired is likely a story AEW hopes fans don’t remember or discuss anymore.
3 Colt Cabana's Presence After Punk Joined AEW
A personal aspect of CM Punk’s life featured his close friendship with Colt Cabana ending in controversial fashion. Punk and Cabana were sued by WWE doctors after Punk made insulting comments during his infamous podcast.
The two had a falling out during the legal process of WWE going after them. Cabana has rarely been on television since Punk joined AEW. The recent program with Adam Page saw Colt and the Dark Order not involved with him anymore. Rumors indicate Cabana is being moved to Ring of Honor under his AEW contract.
2 Chose WWE Broadcasting Gig Over AEW
AEW showed interest in signing CM Punk from the start, but he was hesitant to commit to wrestling again. Punk shocked the world by coming back to a wrestling role involving WWE by choosing WWE Backstage over an AEW contract.
Fox signed Punk to make them his employer, but his main duty was to discuss WWE television on the Backstage talk show. If the show didn’t flop and get canceled, there is a good chance Punk never returns to the ring for AEW.
1 KENTA Calling Him Out
CM Punk taking the GTS finisher from KENTA without asking permission led to some tension between the two for years. KENTA has tried to branch that out into business by calling out Punk for a match since he was released by WWE and joined New Japan.
Many fans were hoping to see the dream match at Forbidden Door, but Punk made it clear KENTA wasn’t on the short list of his desired opponents. It appears Punk doesn’t work to face KENTA, which makes the comments calling him out more controversial for AEW.