10 Times The AEW Locker Room Must Have Been VERY Awkward
6. When CM Punk Met The Hardyz
The incredible 2009 feud between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy worked so well because they were born to hate each other.
Straight edge, prickly preacher versus laid-back addict: there was an ugly, exploitative element to it, yes, but the scope of the drama and the convincing narrative was beyond compelling. A launchpad for Punk's super-stardom - before the f*cking Undertaker ruined it, anyway - it was also heavily rumoured to be and indeed was Hardy's exit feud. The repercussions felt definitive, seismic. Violent, believable, all-or-nothing stuff: it's wild to think that one of the very best things WWE ever did unfolded at the same time as the Guest Host Era.
In the aftermath, Hardy revealed that it wasn't a believable grudge storyline: the animosity was very real. Addled in a diner, in a bleak scene, Hardy called Punk a nerd, said he made him a star, and cast doubt on how clean his lifestyle truly was. Matt Hardy, in a similar state, claimed that Lita, whom Punk was dating at the time, remained his confidant.
Punk and Hardy hadn't shared a locker room since 2011, which must have made it rather awkward if they crossed paths in the halls 11 years later. Punk has his own private dressing room, so it's not like PE or owt, but still: what could these two men possibly say to one another?
"Y'alright mate? Still a sanctimonious c*nt, or...?"