WWE veteran calls AEW star CM Punk worse than Hulk Hogan
Amid the ongoing tension between AEW and CM Punk, a WWE veteran has shared his thoughts about the situation and compared The Straight-Edge Superstar's actions to that of Hulk Hogan.
Ahead of his highly-anticipated return at AEW Collision, CM Punk has reportedly put forward several requests. The most striking of these is the rehiring of Ace Steel.
Punk's long-time friend and former trainer was released from the promotion due to his role in the infamous All Out 2022 brawl. Steel looks to be the biggest roadblock in CM Punk's return, as Tony Khan is seemingly hesitant about bringing back the controversial figure.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff compared The Voice of the Voiceless to Hulk Hogan, who was notorious for his backstage politicking. Bischoff said the following on his Strictly Business podcast:
"All these hardcore wrestling fans and Punk himself is so anti-Hogan because [they think] he's selfish and whatnot. Punk's worse!" [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
It's so weird how Cm punk is the biggest Villain in wrestling and the biggest Hero in wrestling. https://t.co/KBCu5OI9YR
While the comparison certainly seems valid, it remains to be seen whether the reports about CM Punk's demands cause any long-term damage to the promotion.
CM Punk was left off the promotional material for AEW Collision
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the premier of AEW Collision at the network's upfront event this past Wednesday. It was revealed that Thunder Rosa, Miro, Powerhouse Hobbs, Samoa Joe, and Andrade El Idolo would be headliners of the new show.
Many fans quickly realized that CM Punk was curiously left off of this list. At first, it was assumed that The Second City Saint's return was being kept under wraps to make the surprise more impactful, but later reports indicate that this may not be the case.
As announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery 2023 Upfront presentation today, TNT will launch a second night of professional wrestling with a new 2-hour series, #AEWCollision, starting on Saturday, June 17th LIVE at 8pm ET/7pm CT on @tntdrama!
To read the full press release:… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/roOipqNDD6
It was reported that Punk's desire to bring back Ace Steel may be what's holding up the former AEW Champion's potential return. Steel's presence backstage would certainly ruffle a lot of feathers, so it makes sense that Tony Khan may not be too keen on fulfilling Punk's request.
With everything up in the air, fans will have to wait for the launch of Collision on June 17 to see whether CM Punk shows up or not.