"Come through the tunnel" - WWE legend on what AEW star should have done during the segment involving CM Punk
WWE legend Bubba Ray Dudley recently had some suggestions on how Hangman Page should've handled the situation when he got called out by CM Punk last week on AEW Dynamite.
During the opening moments of last Wednesday's show, Punk addressed all concerns surrounding his AEW World Championship, targeting interim champion Jon Moxley. However, before addressing Mox, The Second City Saint first challenged Hangman Page for a title rematch from Double or Nothing.
However, Page didn't answer the call, prompting Punk to call him "coward s**t." It turns out the sequence wasn't part of the script.
During the latest episode of the Busted Open podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer thought Punk going into business by himself would have prompted him to answer the call.
"But if you [Hangman Page] hear somebody in the ring going into business for themselves when it comes to you and making you look really, really bad, I'm probably gonna go into business for myself also and go to the ring."
Bubba Ray opined that Page should've still emerged and addressed the AEW World Champion.
"Just like Mark [Henry] said, at least come through the tunnel, that's all [Hangman] Page would've had to have done. Come out through the tunnel, put his hands in the air and go 'I'm here,' now he at least answered the challenge." [4:30 - 4:58]
Did CM Punk just challenge former #AEW World Champion Hangman Page to a rematch here in West Virginia?! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on TBS! https://t.co/O3vXnRbqg8
Later on, it was reported that Punk and Page had alleged real-life tension with each other and that the locker room was at "breaking point."
Bubba Ray has one more advice for Hangman Page following the CM Punk promo
In the same podcast, the Hall of Famer emphasized that Hangman Page not coming out through the tunnel to address CM Punk's challenge wasn't his fault.
Bubba Ray stated that Page should've taken the high road and talked man-to-man with The Second City Saint.
"Let me reiterate, it is not [Hangman] Page's fault for not going out there because he's probably being taken off guard in the back. But I'll be damned if that when [CM] Punk came back through that curtain? If I wasn't the first one waiting on the other side to welcome him and greet him so we could have a nice, polite, gentlemanly convo.... I was taking the high road," he said. [ 5:01 - 5:25]
I really don’t want to give psychoanalysis on a wrestling promo, but if Meltzer is right that Punks frustrations with Hangman are real this might be the source.
-calls out Punk’s “pipebombs” as cowardice (a word Punk used against Hangman)
-calling out hypocrisy on workers rights https://t.co/jiX3Qegati
CM Punk will be on the card this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite as he faces Jon Moxley for the Undisputed AEW World Championship. Meanwhile, Hangman Page has been busy training the Dark Order for their upcoming trios title qualifying tournament match-up.
What are your thoughts on the CM Punk-Hangman Page scenario? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you take quotes from this article, please credit Busted Open and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.