Rumor killer on CM Punk politicking Tony Khan to remove top AEW star from title picture – Reports

Former AEW World Champion CM Punk has been very outspoken over the years about people that he doesn't see eye to eye with, but one rumor about him not wanting a top AEW star in the title picture might have been exaggerated.

The star in question is Hangman Page, who Punk defeated for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing 2022. However, what started as a competitive rivalry turned very hostile very quickly.

Due to comments that Hangman had made in a promo regarding workers rights angered Punk so much that he reportedly forced AEW president Tony Khan to change all of the plans he had for the world title picture for the summer of 2022.

Meltzer Said What?

@MeltzerSaidWhat

CM Punk to Tony Khan before facing Hangman Page at DoN: "That doesn't work for me, brother." twitter.com/FAR5222/status…

FAR

@FAR5222

Dude covers UFC/MMA for WON. Take with a grain of salt. Bald Man said, "Punk did not want to win the AEW World Championship" take Bald Man's word with a grain of salt too.

The fact a WON employee dropped this in a Discord, nearing the 100% healed CM Punk around the corner, is… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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Dude covers UFC/MMA for WON. Take with a grain of salt. Bald Man said, "Punk did not want to win the AEW World Championship" take Bald Man's word with a grain of salt too.

The fact a WON employee dropped this in a Discord, nearing the 100% healed CM Punk around the corner, is… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/DFomLlQgp7

CM Punk to Tony Khan before facing Hangman Page at DoN: "That doesn't work for me, brother." twitter.com/FAR5222/status… https://t.co/EkU66nfPCt

Or so we thought, because in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer commented that the story of CM Punk forcing Tony Khan to change his plans was completely fabricated.

"As far as rumor corrections, the story going around that Punk was originally going to lose to Adam Page at last year’s Double or Nothing but pressured Tony Khan to change the finish is not true. Punk was always winning that match. I had said before the match that if it was me, I’d have Page win the first meeting and Punk then win the title in Chicago, but Khan wanted the title on Punk months earlier and that wasn’t Punk’s doing or pressuring.” (H/T WrestleTalk)

Sadly, fans will never know what these plans originally were or what they were changed to as CM Punk broke his foot on the first Dynamite after Double or Nothing, forcing him out of action for the majority of the summer.

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CM Punk infamously called out Hangman Page upon his return to the company

It's unknown what was going through CM Punk's head during his time away from the ring in 2022, but one thing was very clear, he did not like Hangman Page.

Still irate about Page's promo before Double or Nothing, Punk called out Hangman for a match on the "House of the Dragon" edition of Dynamite in 2022. This wasn't planned, and was met with a very mixed response backstage due to the fact that the "Straight Edge Superstar" went into business for himself.

Just Alyx

@JustAlyxCentral

CM Punk calls out Hangman Page to have a rematch and he does not answer.

"That's not cowboy sht. That's coward sht."

DAYUM!

#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWonTBS

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CM Punk calls out Hangman Page to have a rematch and he does not answer.

"That's not cowboy sht. That's coward sht."

DAYUM!

#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWonTBS https://t.co/Lezn6dgYNi

But Punk wasn't done, as Hangman Page was one of his targets during his verbal tirade at the All Out post-show media scrum in September 2022, where he famously called Page an "empty-headed dumb f**k."

Due to CM Punk being away from the company since All Out, there has been no word on whether the two parties have made peace. But one thing is for certain, if a rematch ever happens, it will certainly be a lot more violent than their first encounter.

Do you think CM Punk will return to AEW? Let us know in the comments section down below!

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