"That's a good way to do it." - CM Punk intentionally got fired from AEW, believes veteran
The long, tumultuous saga between CM Punk and AEW has come to an end, and fans are eagerly anticipating what is in store for the Second City Saint. However, one WWE legend believes that Punk's split from Tony Khan's promotion was intentionally orchestrated by the man himself.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk with Sid Pullar III, Dutch Mantell explained why he believes CM Punk intentionally got himself fired from AEW:
“When he got his little skinny butt fired, [...] I think he wanted to get fired. He was looking for a way, so… Screaming at Tony [Khan] and pushing people and knocking stuff over. That’s a good way to do it.” [03:56 - 04:18]
The fallout between CM Punk and Tony Khan has been well-documented. The AEW boss even stated that he felt his life was in danger at one point.
CM Punk's master plan to get out of AEW
Dutch Mantell doubled down on his aforementioned claims by arguing that everything from CM Punk's spontaneous visit to a RAW taping in April, to his backstage drama in AEW, was all premeditated to find a way out of Tony Khan's promotion and perhaps have a pathway back to his prior employers:
“I don’t think this was done on spur of the moment either. [...] Then they just said, ‘Well, might be the best way just to part ways.’ But he had already laid the groundwork down to go back to WWE. Which I think in WWE’s case is a win-win situation.” [04:21 - 04:46]
Given that Punk was not only a former AEW World Champion but also arguably the biggest name to have graced the Jacksonville-based promotion, it's undoubtedly a major win for WWE to have him potentially on their roster.
Although, there have been conflicting reports on whether this will materialize. For the time being, fans will have to just sit back and watch as the story unfolds.
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