Real Reason CM Punk & Bobby Fish HATE Each Other
Origin story of one of wrestling's most bizarre beefs of 2022: CM Punk vs. Bobby Fish.
The bad blood between CM Punk and former AEW wrestler Bobby Fish stems from their 27 October 2021 singles match.
Fish's beef with Punk went public in August. The former Undisputed Elite man took what were interpreted as shots as the now-former AEW World Champion during his Dynamite squash by Jon Moxley, which happened six days prior to Fish becoming a free agent following his AEW deal's expiration. It was later revealed that AEW and the 45-year-old couldn't come to terms on a new financial agreement.
Last week, Fish appeared to challenge Punk to a shoot fight. Then, in an interview with NBC Sports Boston, Bobby called his rival a "c*nt", criticising Punk for his "bunk-ass martial arts" while claiming he would have beaten the 'Voice of the Voiceless' in a real fight (h/t Fightful):-
“I’m working for AEW, they’re paying my check, you ask me to put my shoulders down for Phil Brooks, I go out and do it. Interestingly enough, there was a little whatever in the match we had, and Phil was…after the match, Phil was a c*nt. Frankly, as a martial artist, I went out and laid my shoulders down for you, you should be grateful that I did because on national TV, if I decided that I wanted to !*$% Haku your ass, I could have because you’re that little of a threat in my world. I’m not Jon Jones or Anderson Silva, but I’ve been doing martial arts long enough to where I can hold you like a wet nap Phil Brooks. For you to be c*nty after, for a mistake you made, it doesn’t wear well."
Fightful Select has revealed that a number of sources (including Punk detractors) have contacted the outlet in the wake of Fish's latest comments. Per their accounts, Punk was unhappy that Bobby tried to kick out of his Go To Sleep finisher at the three-count in their bout, which Punk won.
That attempted kickout is what caused the issues between the two, with personnel who were backstage confused as to why Fish would do such a thing, which was unlikely to ever be well-received. One of Fightful's sources noted that although Punk took a while to cover Fish for the victory, he was selling for his opponent's offense at the time.
Now, in yet another interview, Fish has told Wrestling Headlines that he tried to kick out of the Go To Sleep as he believed Punk was signalling for a change:-
"But regarding the confusion, at the end of our match, was the fact that he did what’s called the office or an iggy. This is some inside baseball stuff here. But he did that before the three count was over. And so now having been in the business for a long time, I recognize what that is, and having done it myself to somebody to say, in our own way. Whatever, you know, “Good match.” He did it before the three count was over. So that’s also a way to alert your opponent that “Hey let’s change something.” In that moment, I can liken it to what Tony Khan might have been feeling when he’s going off on the EVPs, cetera, et cetera. You don’t know what to do. And in that moment, I know for myself, like I had to make a split second decision.I couldn’t weigh out, you know, this or that I had to either kick out or not kick out or lose the moment forever. So I kicked out and it was whatever it was."
Punk, who is currently suspended from AEW following his role in the post-All Out 2022 brawl, is yet to respond to Fish, making this a completely one-sided beef thus far.