Bobby Fish really doesn't like ex-AEW World Champion CM Punk. He doesn't like that he uses a “shoot” style in the ring, doesn't like his hubris, and if given a chance, he would straight-up fight the “Best in the World” if given a chance to mix it up in the octagon.

Now, when Fish initially started his one-way feud with Punk, it was very much just that; one way. Fish sub-tweeted into the void in anger, complaining about everything from Punk's poor kicking technique to his backstage politicking, and for the most part, fans wrote it off as a mid-performer who was getting ready to leave the company after his contract wasn't picked up for an extension.

Fortunately, many of Fish's complaints have been vindicated.

Since news broke that Fish wasn't heading back to AEW, Punk set off another pipebomb, feuded with just about everyone on the roster, and took part in a combination media scrum/backstage brawl that will be talked about by fans and non-fans seemingly forever. The vast majority of the locker room is “‘Almost Unanimously' Against CM Punk,” the “Chick Magnet” is out for roughly eight months with a seemingly torn pec, and the entire future of the promotion is very much up in the air, as four of its top stars are currently suspended with no clear return date.

So naturally, when Fish made his way onto Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston’s The Ten Count show, he took a bit of a victory lap and discussed his future in professional wrestling, his time in AEW, and, most obviously of all, his hatred for Punk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZP9UUVs6fo

Bobby Fish dishes on his time in AEW and CM Punk.

When Punk wrestled Fish on October 27th, 2021, it was a rather inconsequential affair. The match was incredibly predictable, with Punk scoring the win via the GTS, and even if there was a second or two of intrigue via an almost kick out from Fish in the final moments of the pin, few even remembered the match a few months later, as it was a minor footnote in the build-up to the Eddie Kingston match at Full Gear 2021.

For Fish, however, this was a major inflection point in his career. Fish took issue with Punk's in-ring work, with his style, and with being asked to sell for Punk’s martial arts-based offense via a transcription from Cageside Seats:

There is no challenge. Phil is not a bad pro wrestler, but what Phil is not, is a martial artist. I've been doing martial arts since I was eight years old, so I take a lot of pride in it. It's something that I'll do until the day I die. There are other people within pro wrestling, Bryan Danielson, Kyle O'Reilly, people that train, and they put that into their pro wrestling. You do that because pro wrestling is made up in a way that we get to bring a little piece of ourselves and add to it what we do because so many variables are controlled. You can paint with whatever color you want. Choose a color that you have in your toolbox. If you don't have blue, you're not painting with blue. CM Punk is not a martial artist. He went on pay-per-view and showed the world that he's not a martial artist. He is a pro wrestler. Go out, tackle, drop down, leapfrog, give it again. All good. In that lane, he has talent. When it comes to martial arts, you're insulting the audience's intelligence because we're supposed to be creating an atmosphere where you suspend your disbelief. It's insulting for you, as one of my co-workers or peers, as a martial artist, you're asking me to go out and sell and put over your bunk-a– martial arts. It's insulting to the audience, it's an insult to me.

I'm working for AEW, they're paying my check, you ask me to put my shoulders down for Phil Brooks, I go out and do it. Interestingly enough, there was a little whatever in the match we had, and Phil was…after the match, Phil was a c*nt. Frankly, as a martial artist, I went out and laid my shoulders down for you, you should be grateful that I did because on national TV, if I decided that I wanted to f*cking Haku your a–, I could have because you're that little of a threat in my world. I'm not Jon Jones or Anderson Silva, but I've been doing martial arts long enough to where I can hold you like a wet nap Phil Brooks. For you to be c*nty after, for a mistake you made, it doesn't wear well. Not to mention, the move he finished me with, it's not his, it's KENTA's. Phil, you took a man's finishing move. Anyone who knows pro wrestling knows that's f*cked up. You weren't even decent enough to change the name.

Goodness gracious, that is a lot of trash talk right there.

Now, as Fish pointed out, he did get out into the ring on national television and did the job Tony Khan paid him to do. He did get in some offense, sold for Punk – even if it was in a slightly cheeky manner – and ultimately ate the pin for the 1-2-3. Though the duo are no longer employed by the same company – and neither may be employed at all, depending on Punk's status – Fish would still like to see Punk in the ring once more, only this time, he doesn't want the outcome to be pre-determined, as transcribed from Cageside Seats:

“It’s pretty apparent to people who are paying any attention, I don’t like you, you don’t like me, we can have a competition. Let’s make it a competition where I’m trying to hurt you, you’re trying to hurt me. Not you going to the booker after a misunderstanding in our match that I put you over in, I sold your bunk-a– bullsh*t martial arts for you, I did you that favor and then because of a misunderstanding you’re going to act all c*nty. Meanwhile, we can just get in the ring or octagon or whatever and actually compete against each other, let’s do it.”

Considering Fish also lauded the Young Bucks elsewhere in the interview and called them two of the very few people he would consider friends in the industry, it's pretty safe to say which side of the Punk-Elite feud the former Undisputed Era member falls on.