On this week’s Busted Open Radio, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray addressed the past perception issues surrounding CM Punk in both WWE and AEW. Ray reflected on seeing Punk back in WWE, questioning what the real issue was with Punk in AEW. He suggested that the challenges Punk faced in AEW were more related to the company’s culture and leadership, which ultimately led to his exit from the company a little over a year ago. Below are some highlights from the discussion (via WrestlingInc.com):
On CM Punk’s previous issues in WWE and AEW:
“There were times in WWE where Punk, perception-wise, was the problem. There were times in AEW where perception-wise, and maybe even reality-wise, where Punk was the problem, but now that I see him in WWE for this past year and how well everything is going personally for him, backstage, professionally for him in the ring… what really was the problem in AEW?”
On viewing CM Punk as more of a “rebel” than a “punk”:
“One of the lessons I had to learn within the WWE about picking my battles and which hill to die on because much like Punk — I don’t know if ‘punk’ is the right word to describe Punk. When I think of the word ‘punk’ I think of the word ‘b****,’ I think ‘rebel’ is more of a word; a rebellious attitude — and I understood what that was like and I had to learn how to pick my battles.”
CM Punk will make his return to the ring this weekend at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024. He will join forces with The OG Bloodline—Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, and The Usos—to take on The Bloodline, which includes Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Bronson Reed, in a high-stakes men’s WarGames match. The event will take place on Saturday, November 30, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and will be streamed live on Peacock.
