While much has been said, written, and discussed regarding the biggest takeaways from CM Punk‘s appearance on Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour, from his talk about the Vince McMahon allegations to his takedowns of AEW, Tony Khan, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Jack Perry, the interview has proven to be the gift that keeps on giving, as new nuggets of interesting insight keep bubble up to the surface for wrestling fans to evaluate.
Case in point: this little gem where Punk talked about Colt Cabana publically for the first time since he was fired from AEW, discussing the man who played a massive role in his fallout inside of TK's company.
So, after all of these years, is there a world where Punk and Cabana could bury the hatchet like he has with Triple H and Corey Graves in order to make the Chicago wrestling scene a little more civil? In Punker's opinion, probably not, as “Boom Boom” tried to talk to his former friend ahead of All Out in 2022 and was promptly shut down.
“Probably not. He came up to me one time at a show,” CM Punk told Ariel Helwani on MMA Hour. “I was at the curtain. He came up to me, and he was like, ‘Hey, can we talk so it’s not weird between us.’ I just said, ‘I won’t ever talk to you without a lawyer present,' and that was it.”
When Helwani asked if the feeling is still the same between Punk and Cabana, he confirmed that to be the case, noting that he blames Cabana in part for everything that happened with “Hangman” Adam Page in AEW.
“Yeah. It caused all this dumb s**t, for no reason,” Punk told Helwani. “Oh, I got the guy fired. He hasn’t been on TV since whenever. It is what it is. I applaud, and I said this to ‘Hangman,' I get taking up for your friends. I get it. It’s commendable. Right or wrong, I will stand up for my friends, but to go on national television and jeopardize a million-dollar house that you ain’t never drawn before, now you’re disrespecting me and disrespecting the business. This is my house. I drew that. Not you. And that’s egos. It is what it is.”
Considering everything else Punk said during his MMA Hour appearance, it really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that he isn't looking to become Cabana's best friend moving forward, as, frankly, their falling out started him on the road that ended his AEW career all of these years later.
CM Punk is asked about Colt Cabana.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/fzIvZaQqNc
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 1, 2024
CM Punk is happy to return to the new WWE.
Turning his attention from the past to his present and future within the WWE Universe, CM Punk was asked what it's like to return to his former promotion after nearly a decade away and if it still felt like the same place. In Punk's opinion, it does not, and he means that in the best way possible.
“It does not. Somebody said this to me. I get uncomfortable talking about myself and my contributions. It’s very hard to do without sounding supremely egotistical. I’m always trying to be on the back foot and be humble. There are a lot of people who wouldn’t be in the industry if it wasn’t for me. I’m just talking inspiration. I’m not saying I helped them in any way. The same way I wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Bret or Roddy Piper or the guys who paved the way for me. Even if I was just a fan of them on television. There is a lot of that. It’s hard for me to talk about what I’ve done, but someone explained it to me like this. ‘I’m super glad you’re back here so you can experience the culture backstage that you helped create. You were a catalyst for this, you left, and now you’re back, and I’m glad you get to enjoy it and see the fruits of your labor.’ That hit me,” CM Punk explained via Fightful.
“It’s different in a sense that, I’m not going to say friendlier… no, f**k it, I am going to say friendlier. To talk about the way the culture is now, you have to talk about the way the culture is when I got there. It was very much shark tank, cut throat, super competitive and everyone looked at me, ‘f*ck you, why are you here, you don’t belong here,’ and I was on television with nothing but top guys. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle. There are probably five other guys I’m forgetting. It was brutal. To try and scratch and claw to get noticed. To get that TV time that I was allotted, it was a lot different. Now, it’s more laid back. That’s probably the best way to say it. It’s a relaxed atmosphere.”
Did Punk actually make WWE a better place, or are people maybe just being nice to the returning Superstar, as the performers who fought to make things better, performers like Seth Rollins, were in the trenches while Punker was at home or in AEW? Either way, it's nice to know that Punk is happy to be back in WWE; hopefully, the “Best in the World can keep it that way.
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