Posted in: AEW, Sports, TV | Tagged: aew, cm punk, wrestling

Has CM Punk Lost His Smile? Latest Feud Blurs Lines of Work and Shoot

AEW World Champion CM Punk is known for many things, and none of them are humility, a thick skin, or a reputation for getting along well with his employers and coworkers. Punk declares himself "The Best in the World" to give you an idea of his appraisal of his own skills, even though dissatisfaction with his career in WWE led him to take seven years off from the business. In AEW, Punk claims to have rediscovered his love of pro wrestling, so it's both surprising to learn that, according to the latest dirt sheet rumors, the love affair between Punk and AEW may be turning sour, and, at the same time, not surprising at all.

On AEW Dynamite last Wednesday, Punk opened the show with a promo on Interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. But before that, he called out former champion Hangman Adam Page, who did not respond. Now, reports circulating around multiple dirt sheets claim that Punk's comments were not planned and that they stem from real heat Punk has with Page, going back to Page's comments during their feud where Page lambasted Punk's attitudes on worker's rights and claimed he wanted to save AEW from Punk. Page's comments themselves apparently referred to Punk's animosity toward former friend Colt Cabana, on whose podcast Punk made comments disparaging WWE that led to a lawsuit against Punk and Cabana.

In a subsequent lawsuit filed by Cabana against Punk, Cabana claimed Punk agreed to pay Cabana's legal fees and then backed out. When Punk signed with AEW, backstage rumors claimed Cabana's contract would not get renewed because of Punk's feelings. Instead, according to reports, several AEW stars had to vouch for Cabana, leading his contract to be renewed. However, it's widely expected that Cabana will wrestle in ROH, keeping him and Punk as far away from each other as possible.

All of this, of course, is rumor, though when Dave Meltzer, Mike Johnson, Sean Ross Sapp, and more are all reporting variations on the same story, there's definitely some fire behind the smoke. Whether that fire is sources working the dirt sheets to promote a worked shoot storyline remains to be seen. With Cody Rhodes, that obviously turned out not to be the case. With MJF, the jury is still out. And, of course, there is a third option: that things begin as one thing and turn into the other.

Punk will face Jon Moxley in a match on Dynamite next week to unify the championships. How that match plays out will reveal a lot about the situation backstage. It seems baffling for AEW to give away their biggest match on free TV less than two weeks before the PPV unless they've either got something bigger planned — like adding Hangman Page, MJF, or both to the match — or there's a real problem that necessitates getting the belt off Punk as quickly as possible.

Either way, it should lead to a short-term ratings boost for Dynamite next week and high interest in the PPV, though the implications of a shoot or a worked shoot on the long-term health of the company remain to be seen. On the work side, it's worth noting that Punk has mainly faced babyfaces during his time in AEW, with MJF being the notable exception. Punk has faced and defeated Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, and Hangman Page and now will face AEW's ultimate babyface, Jon Moxley. Kingston and Page both had interesting things to say about Punk's true colors during their feuds, with page making the comments supposedly about Cabana and Kingston telling Punk, "No one wants you here. They never wanted you here. That whole locker room is afraid to say it, but not me." On Wednesday, Moxley claimed Punk only returned to AEW because he "ran out of money." And while MJF was a heel when he faced Punk, his comments were along similar lines.

Whatever the truth is, things should become clearer in the coming weeks, both at Dynamite next week and at All Out on September 4th. Reconciling CM Punk's status with a worshipping fanbase against his real-life conflicts, however, may prove more complicated. For that, we'll point to a comment we read on Reddit this week that summed up the situation humorously:

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