The honeymoon period with CM Punk has ended. This week's drama ended before it began. He had to sink or swim because of his ability for a long time. If Punk was just a nostalgia act, Tony Khan would be left with no choice but to give up his responsibilities. It was meant as no disrespect to you, Daddy Ass. Punk isn't the "best in the world" anymore. Punk has been far from horrible as well. Even though he has credentials, he is still a solid member of the team. He has more star power than any other person in the company. Over the last 48 hours, Punk's desire to "work with the young talent" that had his same passion stamped out in World Wrestling Entertainment became murkier.
Punk went off-script with his remarks toward Hangman Page to open Wednesday's "Dynamite" when he knew he wasn't in the building. John Silver claims that Hanger was eating backstage at the time. It is said that it was the catalyst to a locker-room war between the AEW originals and the ex-WWE guys. Some parts of the roster are siding with Punk. If the problem isn't fixed soon, tensions will only get worse.
It has led to speculation about AEW's long-term plans for its top spot, with its former world champion, current titleholder, interim champion, and biggest organic star all implicated. Punk coming off as disgruntled has caused another strike to be predicted. Next week's show will be in Cleveland, the same city where he left the company.
Punk is with AEW for one year. Being at the center of controversy is what makes the timing of the commemoration day so fascinating. It is fitting that Punk likes it that way. He's been in the squared circle for 23 years. He could easily squash any beef backstage or on the phone. Instead, he saved it for the network.
Punk's "clapback" was in response to liberties he took with the promo for their AEW World Championship match at the company's signature pay-per-view, Double or Nothing. Punk came back to the company last week after hurting his foot a few days after defeating Page. After being given a live mic for the first time in 75 days, the Chicagoan wasted no time in speaking his mind.
I will be happy to write about how genius the Punk promo was if it was a work. Khan has given his talent more rope than he deserves. Punk should deal with the consequences head on if there were bullet points and he took liberties with having a live mic. Punk escalating things with the call-out was downright disrespectful from a person who wants to be a professional wrestler.
The rest of Punk's verbal jabs aimed at Moxley and his friends came off as a rapid-fire attempt to make him look bad. Mentioning Moxley as the third-best wrestler in the club is low-hanging fruit. Punk has tried to take credit for the invention of The Shield, with Chris Hero taking Roman Reigns' place in the top three. Eddie Kingston was referred to as the second-best Kingston he had worked with, behind Kofi, and the third-best Eddie.
While diminishing those in your locker room, what is the need for outside talent? It went all the way to a match. It looks like it is a double-edged sword. When no buttoned-up speech should, the words of the conflict have a better chance of being slimy. The fake pipe bomb was all jokes. No substance or style. Aew has had a lot of great shows. The show was a mess. In 120 minutes, there were peaks and lows.
I like Punk a lot. He is not a favorite of mine. Kevin Owens, Manami Toyota, and Samoa Joe are in that order. If he made it past two hands, he wouldn't have to be counted. He is in professional wrestling and has everything that comes with it. He came off as a martyr to call out his critics. There are two wrestlers with angles of being disgruntled employees.
The long-term stability of AEW is dependent on how they move through this adversity. The ideology of the company was bound to end eventually. The only option for everyone involved is to do what's best for Aew as a whole. Those who don't bring their best to the fight should be punished by Khan. What's the reason? The fights happen on his turf. Punk may need a dose of reality as a first anniversary present.
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