After CM Punk’s Comments, Someone from AEW Needs to Respond
CM Punk expressed his feelings about AEW. Unsurprisingly, they weren’t pleasant.
Punk was a guest on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour yesterday, offering unflattering comments about Tony Khan, Hangman Page, and Jack Perry. He criticized AEW as a whole, stating his opinion that the company is not a real business built on making money.
Even more frustration was expressed by Punk when detailing how the company did not offer any support, financially or in terms of helping his recovery, following surgery for a torn triceps after All Out in 2022. Punk also contradicted Khan’s story about making Khan fear for his life, which is why Khan had said Punk was fired, and stated that there was a focus within the company on ruining his reputation.
CM Punk is asked about Jack Perry. Talks his last night in AEW and Tony Khan.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/oVYf4lKS15
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 1, 2024
Now it is time for someone in AEW to respond.
But the response should not come from various members of the roster in thinly veiled tweets. It should not be the EVPs–Kenny Omega or The Young Bucks–or Perry or Hangman, nor should it come from Khan.
There is one person who should respond, and that is Samoa Joe.
The reigning AEW world champion shares a long history with Punk. They wrestled against one another in their famed Ring of Honor trilogy before some outstanding matches more recently in AEW. One of those matches, of course, was Punk’s final match in AEW before he was fired.
Right before that match at Wembley Stadium, Punk confirmed he was involved in a physical altercation with Perry. Punk stated he briefly had Perry in a chokehold, but said he released it once Joe intervened. It is not breaking news to state that Punk and Joe have a tremendous amount of respect for one another. Despite all the commotion backstage in the moments prior, they still wrestled a very compelling match against one another at All In. And as the face of the brand, Joe should be the one who stands up for everyone in his company.
Khan should let Joe respond with a live mic in his hand tomorrow night on Dynamite. If you trust him, then what’s the downside? And yes, Joe is scheduled for tomorrow’s night Dynamite.
Joe is too smart and too seasoned a pro to ever get personal or malicious with his response. None of that is necessary. Joe should not insult Punk or belittle him. Instead, he should stand up for AEW, reminding anyone listening that his company has completely re-altered the wrestling space.
TNA is cutting costs. New Japan has also allowed top talent to leave. But AEW has forced WWE to change the way it operates. Competition is healthy for brands, and it is exceptional for talent. With a viable competitor, contracts have improved in WWE. New talent has had a chance to shine in AEW. There is a place to go for people –like Joe–who were deemed expendable by WWE.
It doesn’t stop there. For the first time in a long time, there is now a bidding war for top free agents. On top of that, there are unexpected signings that rattle the whole industry. Before they returned to WWE, where do you think Punk and Cody Rhodes were working?
AEW has changed pro wrestling. For the better.
Someone needs to champion AEW. And there is no better choice than its world champion.
JUSTIN BARRASSO
Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.