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When CM Punk was officially fired with cause from AEW due to his interactions with Jack Perry and Tony Khan at AEW All In, it created a question that has remained firmly at the forefront of professional wrestling fandom: What will the “Best in the World” do next?
Some have questioned whether or not Punk should have been fired, period, with a few fans suggesting that he may not have been released at all in favor of becoming the man who is wearing MJF's devil mask and messing with Bullet Club Gold. Others feel increasingly confident that Punk will be back in professional wrestling in one form or another, be that as a member of WWE or even TNA Wrestling, where Punker has wrestled 27 matches from 2002-04.
Needless to say, fan reactions are all over the place, but how do the folks in the back who actually interacted with Punk feel about his exit from the promotion, especially for members of the promotion who weren't necessarily on his side during the final days of the “Summer of Punk.” Fortunately, fans now have a bit more context to that question, as Eddie Kingston was afforded a chance to discuss his exit with Adrian Hernandez and revealed that, while he is very pubically not a huge fan of Punk, he does wish things would have worked out differently for the strength of the business.
“No, I'm doing my job. That's how I felt. I didn't know what anyone else in the locker room felt. I didn't care, is how I felt. I didn't want him there. Me and Punk don't like each other. And that's fine. You're not going to like everybody you work with,” Eddie Kingston said via F4W. “Do I wish he was still in AEW, and I wish it worked out differently? Yeah, because he helped the company. But other than that, I don't give a f*ck what he does, you know what I mean? Because me and him never got along anyway. We don't have to be best friends to fight each other — it makes it better when we're not best friends. I don't wish him bad, but I don't wish him good either, because I don't give a f*ck.”
Is Kingston correct? Should AEW have found a way to make things work with Punk in order to keep him on the roster and in the mix moving forward, as the “Best in the World” really does have a solid collection of fans who will follow him anywhere he goes? Or will whoever employs Punk next learn the same lesson that AEW and WWE learned already, that some ratings bumps aren't worth the headaches associated with them? Needless to say, some, like Eric Bischoff, have strong feelings on that question.
Eric Bischoff weighs in on whether WWE needs CM Punk.
Speaking of CM Punk and his potential to return to the WWE Universe, Eric Bischoff was asked on his 83 Weeks podcast how he would like to debut the “Best in the World” if he was booking for the promotion.
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While Bischoff probably wouldn't bring back Punker at Survivor Series, as he feels as though the Royal Rumble makes more sense for his return, he wonders how much of an impact he would even make, considering the promotion is already so hot without a big-name free agent addition.
“I would hold it off to the Royal Rumble. It’s not like WWE is having a hard time getting great reactions,” Eric Bischoff said via Fightful. “If they weren’t, if it was a year and a half ago, I would say, ‘Yeah, you might want to give that a shot.’ Or I would give it a shot if I was in a position to do it. But not now. WWE has got so much momentum, and the crowd is so much behind them, I just can’t imagine…. I just don’t really think it’s ever gonna happen, but for the sake of discussion, if Punk were to show up in WWE, no matter where he does it, it’s going to get a massive pop, a massive reaction. For a company that’s not desperate for one right now, I wouldn’t waste it. I would do it where it meant the most. For me, and I think for the audience, because the format of Royal Rumble begs for an opportunity like that, it just makes so much more sense. But that’s just me.”
Asked if he would bring back Punk, Bischoff said no, noting that, in his opinion, there's just too much baggage to make it worth Paul “Triple H” Levesque's time.
“I don’t. Look, I’m not 100% convinced because it is all about business, and WWE historically is able and willing to get beyond issues, personal or otherwise,” Bischoff said. “Warrior comes to mind. Eric Bischoff comes to mind. There’s been a whole bunch of us where nobody would have ever imagined that certain people would get back or get into a WWE ring ever again, only to be surprised. I’m not saying that I’m 100% sure, but my gut tells me no. Mostly because they just don’t need him. There’s no holes. Where’s the holes in the WWE roster right now? Where’s the holes in the product? We’re getting ready to step into the hottest time of the year. This is wrestling’s version of the Super Bowl coming up over the next month or two, leading up to it. I just don’t feel the need for it right now. Their live event business, off the charts. They’re selling out 10-11-12,000-seat arenas for SmackDown and for Raw. Merchandise is flying off the shelf. There’s just no holes in their game right now. It’s not gonna be that way forever. Everything ebbs and flows. I hope it does, but that would be rare. Maybe somewhere down the road I see it, but I certainly don’t see it coming up any time soon.”
Is Bischoff on the money? Would WWE be better off if they leave CM Punk on the proverbial bench and focus instead on the performers they already have on the roster; performers like Roman Reigns, LA Knight, Sami Zayn, and beyond? Well, considering Survivor Series is less than a month away, fans might not have to wait too long to find out.
