Dax Harwood Talks Speaking To CM Punk After All Out, And More
What did CM Punk say to Dax Harwood after the infamous Brawl Out controversy?
Dax Harwood spoke to CM Punk right after the infamous events that took place following All Out 2022.
That's according to the 7-Star performer himself (via Fightful), with the AEW wrestler focusing on his relationship with The Best in the World and his thoughts on the controversial Brawl Out occurrence at the aforementioned PPV during the first-ever episode of his FTR podcast.
The former AEW World Tag Team Champion explained how he didn't realise anything had gone "sideways" or "wrong" during the pivotal promo exchange between Punk and Hangman Page in the lead-up to Double or Nothing. Though he would note how the eventual AEW World Champion himself claimed, "Ahhh, I’m kind of feeling a certain way about it," in the aftermath
Dax would swiftly follow this up by admitting that, despite not knowing the Hangman particularly well, he didn't and doesn't think Page was trying to actively take a shot at his Chick Magnet pal during a promo.
And when asked by co-host Matt Koon whether he felt Punk had grown bitter towards the industry again in the lead-up to All Out, Harwood would state that his mate "was still so joyous and happy to be in the wrestling business." However, Dax would soon explain that the real-life Phil Brooks wasn't actually all that keen to be strapped up with the AEW World title, with Punk telling Harwood that he just wanted to have fun but understood that AEW putting the title on him would likely bring more eyes to the company.
Highlighting how Punk took care of the locker room during his stint alongside his fellow All Elite performers, Dax would also reveal that the top star took the likes of Cash Wheeler, MJF, Hobbs, Wardlow, and other workers out for food and paid for everything.
And he'd reportedly also anonymously gift the women in the locker room Starbucks vouchers, tasking another wrestler with handing them out, with Punk being said to have been a big fan of the way the women on the roster were "busting their ass" in their attempts to get WWE-level attention on their division.
The conversation then inevitably turned towards the drama that unfolded in the wake of All Out.
After finally making his way back to the hotel with his family on the back of his showing on the PPV, Harwood was met with a text from a fellow wrestler asking "is this sh** true?" Before Dax could even figure out what was going on, Punk himself FaceTimed his All Elite friend and explained what had just happened.
Covered in blood after his main event battle with Jon Moxley, Punk would proceed to tell Dax "you’re going to hear some things", but that "this is what happened" from his point of view.
Giving his opinion on the Brawl Out controversy itself, Harwood would confess that while some of the stuff he's heard being reported has "elements of truth in it", there are some pieces of news that raise a "red flag" to him. Only "a portion of the story" is being fully explored, in Dax's mind. But that being said, the FTR man would also admit to not knowing "the whole story", but from the things he's read and heard, "there is partial truth and partial things that are a bit exaggerated."
Ending on a hopeful note, Dax would explain how he hopes Punk will one day return to AEW and that the locker room will boast the likes of The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and The Best in the World. With those four stars present, AEW's talent roster would be "so much deeper and better", in Dax's opinion. And in what is no doubt a plea that will be backed by the vast majority of the wrestling fan base, Harwood would simply state:
"This is my plea to all four guys. Please find a way to make it work. If we can make it work, we can set up the future of professional wrestling for a long time and we can change the course of professional wrestling for a very long time."
Will 2023 see the jaw-dropping AEW return of CM Punk? Or will Dax's plea fall on deaf ears?
Anything still seems possible at this point.