AEW Talent Expected CM Punk’s ESPN Interview To Be Much Worse

AEW is setting the stage for CM Punk’s return to the company. It will go down on Collision this Saturday, and fans are excited about this new chance for the Second City Savior.

CM Punk’s much-hyped interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi was released today, and highlights can be found at the provided link. It is worth noting that Punk did not participate in any other interviews leading up to AEW Collision, aside from the ESPN piece, which was the outlet preferred by AEW.

Adam Page and The Elite, AEW’s Executive Vice Presidents, were informed about the interview over the weekend. Earlier this week, there were reports that the interview would upset many people in AEW. However, since its release, it seems that the interview did not turn out to be as controversial as initially indicated.

Several members of the AEW roster pointed out that unlike others involved in the situation, Page is not restricted from discussing his experiences with Punk. However, Page has chosen not to talk about Punk in order to avoid stirring up any issues. Last summer, Punk reportedly met with AEW higher-ups and expressed his frustration regarding comments made about Colt Cabana on TV involving Page, as nothing was done to his satisfaction. This frustration was referenced by Punk in the ESPN interview.

Although the ESPN piece mentioned that the backstage issues will not be turned into a storyline, there are still people on Punk’s side who hope it could happen. In the interview, Punk clarified that he has not had discussions with The Elite following All Out. However, it is worth noting that Punk and Omega had a non-confrontational conversation immediately after the All Out match. Punk stated that his issue was never with Omega, but the situation has not calmed down enough for a productive conversation to take place in that environment.

Fightful Select also noted that a number of talent in AEW didn’t think that the CM Punk piece was as bad as the hype led on. After all, many were expecting a much more controversial piece.

Since the publishing of the article, many have stated that it didn’t seem nearly as bad as indicated. Several on the AEW roster have pointed out that unlike many of the others in the situation, Hangman Page doesn’t have restrictions on being able to talk about his experiences with Punk, and still goes out of his way to not talk about Punk as to not stir anything up. Dating back to last summer, we’re told that Punk had met with higher ups and asked that the Hangman Page comments on TV that alluded to Colt Cabana be addressed in some manner, and that he’d grown very frustrated that nothing was done about it to the level of his satisfaction, which he referenced in the ESPN interview.

CM Punk’s name will draw headlines for a long time to come. Only time will tell what happens to make fans talk about him next. Keep checking back with Ringside News for more.

What’s your take on this situation with CM Punk and AEW? Sound off in the comments!