CM Punk finally returned to AEW on the debut episode of Collision on June 17th and the star wasted little time blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
On the show, Punk teamed with FTR to defeat Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Samoa Joe, but it was his comments earlier in the night that got people talking. In a promo addressing his absence the former World Champion referred to the Young Bucks as “counterfeit Bucks” and said a Warner Bros Discovery Executive called him as “One Bill Phil.”
A new report from Fightful Select has given an update on how Punk’s promo was received and what could lie in store for the star.
The report notes that some backstage picked up on Punk removing the AEW mic flag as he had done in WWE during a famous angle a decade ago. With regard to the comments themselves, some felt that Punk was simply getting things off his chest that he needed to, while others felt he was being hypocritical by calling his rivals “soft,” when he had taken issue with Hangman Adam Page’s promo and conduct during their program.
There were non-disclose agreements in place between Punk and the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, but these don’t exist between the star and Page. Meanwhile, the “One Bil Phil” line was taken backstage to be in reference to AEW’s broadcast deal with WBD which is reportedly worth close to $1 billion.
The Young Buck were said to be fine with the jabs and took the comments in a light-hearted manner.
Looking ahead, Punk is scheduled to appear on the June 21st episode of Dynamite, and AEW is still hopeful that he will face KENTA at Forbidden Door on June 25th.
Chris Jericho had been penciled in as a future opponent for Punk but talk of the match-up has gone quiet, there was also talk of rivalries with Jay White and Samoa Joe, but plans have changed.
CM Punk’s Shots At The Young Bucks Were Approved In Advance
The report comes after it was revealed that Punk’s comments about the Young Bucks were approved by management ahead of time. Many fans had wondered whether the returning star had gone into business for himself, but this wasn’t the case.