"He was never used to his maximum capacity" - Wrestling veteran claims CM Punk was underutilized in AEW (Exclusive)
Wrestling veteran Hugo Savinovich recently opened up about CM Punk being underutilized in AEW.
Punk's second title reign was cut short owing to the backstage brawl with The Elite, which transpired at the All Out media scrum.
Punk and The Elite were stripped of their titles and a tournament is currently underway to crown the next World Champion.
In a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Hugo Savinovich spoke about his support for the former WWE Superstar and how his real-life ego should have been added to the storyline.
"And what's been reported is that he had already told somebody like before that press conference like 'Hey, check that out.' So even for a guy like me, that loves CM Punk, and I believe that he was never used to his maximum capacity. A lot of people and boys would say 'Are you F crazy, Hugo?' You got ego and all of that but I think that that ego should have had been part of that storyline. And even now, what you know, we know he got operated on and all that and maybe eight months out," Hugo said. (9:25 - 10:00)
Check out the entire interaction below:
The former AEW World Champion last competed on September 4th at the All Out event where he defeated Jon Moxley to become champion.
Hugo Savinovich claims CM Punk's persona bears similarities to WWE legend Steve Austin
During his tenure in WWE, CM Punk was vocal about Stone Cold Steve Austin being an idol for his career. The two have often been cited for having a similar brash style of addressing fans and events in the industry.
In the same interaction with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Hugo Savinovich stated that Austin and Punk brought a lot of reality into their gimmicks which made them popular with the fans.
"Stone Cold Steve Austin became this huge star not just because Vince [McMahon] created the character because he wasn't acting to be Stone Cold. Even today, if you see him, he's a multi-millionaire guy but you will see him in a t-shirt and the jeans. So it was like people knew that there was a lot of reality into Stone Cold and people knew there was a lot of reality into CM Punk." (2:39 - 3:03)
This picture of a young CM Punk with Stone Cold Steve Austin always makes me smile. If you could pick a modern day Stone Cold… it would probably be CM Punk. ⚡️ https://t.co/wMSgMHu5Yq
CM Punk also underwent surgery for his torn triceps, which he suffered during the main event at the pay-per-view. The injury seemingly worsened during the backstage altercation, resulting in him being out of in-ring action for the next six to eight months.
Please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use any quotes from the article.