Backstage WWE & AEW Reaction To THAT CM Punk Interview
CM Punk didn't mince his words when he sat down with Ariel Helwani yesterday.
Following CM Punk's appearance on Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour yesterday - where, amongst others things, Punk revealed he told Tony Khan that AEW was a "f**king joke" and that Tony was a "clown" - there's now word on the reaction to this interview from those within WWE and AEW.
Per Fightful Select, one supporter of CM Punk's still with AEW said this sort of interview was bound to happen at some point, and that they hope this is the last they'll hear of these matters until one day fences are mended. A veteran AEW talent also told the outlet how the biggest takeaway from this interview was how things were preventable from all sides, and added how Punk is now happy, AEW has moved on, and hopefully all parties have learned from the situation. As for those members of the AEW roster who've since taken to X to praise AEW, that's said to be a case of simply supporting the company.
Where the WWE side is concerned, one talent told FIghtful how they were happy this interview took place when it do, with the attention able to turn back towards wrestling by the time of WrestleMania XL this coming weekend. Another WWE name noted how Punk didn't particularly want to tackle the subject of AEW, but knew that topic would inevitably come up. The Chicagoan also isn't scheduled for any major media commitments this week, unlike certain others within WWE.
As for Punk's telling of his original disagreement with Jack Perry - Punk asked by Tony Schiavone to tell Perry not to use real glass in a car-smashing angle - AEW sources have confirmed to Fightful that this was indeed accurate.