CM Punk kicked off the premiere episode of AEW Collision with an explosive promo, and a new report from Fightful Select has provided the details on the backstage reaction to the segment.
In his promo, Punk took shots at The Elite and referenced the heat between them, noting that he was tired of “playing nice” and called Nick and Matt Jackson “soft” without naming them and labeled them as “counterfeit bucks.”
According to the latest report, The Young Bucks took the promo in a lighthearted manner and were fine with Punk’s remarks. People backstage took note of Punk removing the AEW microphone flag right before the promo, pointing out how it was almost the exact same thing he had done during a WWE angle.
In addition, people backstage made note of Punk’s comment that a WBD executive labeled him as “One Bil Phil,” and the internal speculation suggests that the phrase was in reference to the rumors of a potential $1 billion television deal between WBD and AEW in the lead-up to Collision’s announcement.
People on both sides of the story stated said that Punk was venting without any boundaries, while there were others who felt like the former AEW World Champion was being hypocritical in throwing barbs at The Elite after everything that went down during the Hangman Page feud.
While an NDA is in place between Punk, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega, no such NDA exists between Page and Punk.
Punk was reportedly checked out by trainers as a precaution following his match and everything was fine. The Second City Saint is planned for this week’s episode of Dynamite, but AEW is yet to announce him officially. AEW is currently hoping that Punk’s match with KENTA for Forbidden Door II will happen, but nothing is set in stone yet.
