A large portion of the wrestling community is hoping to see CM Punk in AEW, and now the former WWE star has confirmed he recently received an offer from the company (via text message).
Punk was brutally honest, so it would seem, about his relationship with All Elite Wrestling while speaking with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi to promote an upcoming appearance at Starrcast.
When asked if he had a relationship with AEW, Punk firmly stated no.
“I know they like to talk about me a lot. If I text Matt Jackson, “Hey, have a great show tonight,” which I did when they had their big show in Vegas, that somehow turns into Tony Khan telling people he has a great relationship with me. I’ve said in the past I’ve talked to them, but nothing ever came of anything,” he added.
Punk also addressed fans having expectations to see him at All Out because of his scheduled appearance at Starrcast:
“I think if there’s an expectation, it’s purely been built by them. My silence to some fans means something. They’re trying to read the tea leaves, but there’s nothing to read. I even feel like talking about it may feel like I’m putting some sort of negative slant on it, but I’m really not. The fact is I know they’ve teased me ad nauseam, and if anybody is gonna get mad it’s at me because I don’t show up. Well then, I don’t know what to tell you. That’s one of those things that’s none of my business.”
“They do videos where they talk about me. They’re constantly talking about me in the media. And again, maybe this sounds like I’m badgering them, but I’m not. It’s just something that happens. I’m a popular guy to talk about. But I’m not doing interviews talking about them. If people ask me about it, I say no, I won’t be there.”
Punk was then asked straight up if anything between he and AEW was imminent and this is what he said:
Punk: The last thing I got — I got a text from Cody [Rhodes]. And again, I almost don’t even know how to reply to them sometimes, because if I reply, they do interviews and are like, “Oh yeah, I just talked to Punk.” I’m kind of damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I always think if somebody wants to do business with me, they can come talk to me. Texting offers isn’t really a way to do good business, at least.
ESPN: Was it an offer via text?
Punk: It was texted through three people and an offer came in through text. This is like a month ago, maybe.
ESPN: An offer for All Out?
Punk: I think it was just a general offer. I never could have done the last one in Vegas [Double or Nothing], because I was in California for CFFC.
Punk talked about his UFC future as well in the interview and how he wouldn’t be surprised to get cut.
“I’m not that dude that sat down on a stage in Vegas eight years ago,” he added. “I’m not the dude that left WWE. I’m not that guy. That was five-years-ago Phil. I’m a different dude now. People still have that connotation, like, “Oh, he hates WWE.” And it’s just like, no, I’ve let all that go, and I’ve let all that go so long ago. But there are people that hold on to that. They still think or want me to be who I was. I’m not who I was yesterday. This is my journey, this is my odyssey.”
Punk also said he doesn’t expect to be involved in wrestling by 2020 — but anything is possible.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
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