"Nobody expected it" - WWE veteran on the surprise finish to the title match between Jon Moxley and CM Punk on AEW Dynamite (Exclusive)
Dutch Mantell recently threw light on CM Punk's unexpected loss against Jon Moxley and the prospects arising from The Second City Saint's potential injury.
Fans had their eyes twitched in disbelief as Jon Moxley made short work of CM Punk on Wednesday night. The bout was expected to be a hard-hitting fest, but executing a roundhouse kick spelled doom for the former champion. Moxley capitalized on the moment by dishing out two Death Riders to secure the pinfall.
It was later announced that Rampage would feature unaired backstage footage concerning Punk's injury. However, the short clip did not meet most fans' expectations, as there was no clear update on CM Punk's in-ring future.
Speaking on the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Mantell lauded the bout's surprise finish while addressing the lack of details concerning Punk's injury:
"One thing that surpised me about Rampage is they didn't pay enough attention to Punk and Moxley. Did they ever say what happened to his ankle? He didn't get squashed, he got hurt, which is a difference. If you're going to lose, to me that's the best way to lose. You get hurt and it's to your benefit to get pinned to keep from getting hurt more. It shocked the people and I don't know where this match finish came from but it was one of the better ones that I've seen in years," said Mantell. (48:11 - 49:18)
The former Zeb Colter further weighed in on the multiple storylines that might emerge from this situation:
"They had all this momentum build up and all of a sudden he hurts his leg which is believable. What they did was close the one door we had and opened about six or seven more. Now they can do anything with this angle they want to do. Now we wait for the second act of this angle between Mox and Punk. If it's booked [for All Out], then it's a work. I think it was planned," he added. (49:20 - 50:52)
Jon Moxley takes a jibe at CM Punk ahead of All Out
This year has been nothing short of a dream run for Jon Moxley. While many weren't banking on him initially, The Purveyor of Violence walked out as the first-ever two-time AEW World Champion on this week's Dynamite.
Speaking with Tony Pike and Rick Ucchino on Cincy 360, Jon Moxley shared his thoughts on heading into CM Punk's hometown with his coveted title:
"All these guys sitting at home tweeting about what they should be doing, meanwhile, I'm at an indie show in front of 400 people, stapling dollar bills to foreheads. Now I get to walk into Chicago, his [Punk's] hometown, and we'll see how the story unfolds from here," said Moxley.
“It is Punk and Moxley.
I don’t know if they’re gonna add stips or whatever, but that is the main event (of All Out)”
- Dave Meltzer
(via WOR) https://t.co/ukbjYGKTrt
Fans have expressed their concerns about CM Punk's health situation. However, the surprise finish to his match left many to ponder upon the possibility of it being a work. Many have opined that Tony Khan has some unexpected twists lined up for All Out on September 4.
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