Following CM Punk’s Instagram rant about Jon Moxley’s pitch for a short match on Dynamite before their All Out match, while not being medically cleared and criticizing Dave Meltzer and Chris Jericho, more fallout continues to surface.
Wade Keller of PWtorch elaborated on the behind-the-scenes issues with Punk while speaking on a recent VIP audio show. He stated that several top AEW stars dislike Punk, and that the majority of the roster does not want him back.
“For one, Jon Moxley and CM Punk do not like each other that much anybody I asked around will say that. It’s very clear. There’s a tension to a degree…certainly, they are not in a position now where anyone would predict that they would want to work together or if they would even feel comfortable working together on a promo or whatever.”
Keller continued, “From what I can gather…the sentiment is that he’s just not welcomed back. The wrestlers don’t want him back. The majority of wrestlers don’t want him back. I would go as far as even saying that my sources are saying the mass majority of wrestlers don’t want him back. One person said maybe one or two of the top third of the roster want him back….in top half. And then there are some younger guys who liked him. In terms of the top stars, the politics are not terribly among the top guys. There’s some tension among the top guys, but it’s mostly, Punk doesn’t get along with Hangman, Punk doesn’t get along with Moxley, Punk doesn’t get along with Kenny, Punk doesn’t get along with the Bucks, Punk doesn’t get along with MJF. Actually, I’m not sure on the MJF thing, but I think the way things went down even that situation. it’s not as strong as it once was.”
Keller stated that Moxley and Jericho get along extremely well, and that other top wrestlers also get along. He noted that it ranges from peaceful coexistence to genuine harmony, but that Punk is an exception.
“Punk is the exception to that right now. Him going off on Instagram really hurt the chances of him being welcomed back. One wrestler I talked to outright said that it might not matter what the wrestlers think if Tony Khan wants Punk back. Punk might be brought back.”
Keller added, “My sense is that there would be something greater than a strong push back amongst top talent in AEW if Tony Khan tries to bring back Punk at this point. I think it would be difficult before Punk said what he said on Instagram. I think it’s going to be much more difficult now, but I don’t know if the odds of Tony wanting to bring back Punk have changed based on what Punk said.”
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
