CM Punk has taken aim at WWE over their treatment of Sasha Banks and Naomi, comparing the situation to Brock Lesnar’s recent walkout on SmackDown.
On July 22nd, following the news that Vince McMahon was retiring from his duties with WWE, Brock Lesnar reportedly walked out of the upcoming SmackDown taping just hours before the show went on the air.
McMahon was subsequently replaced by Stephanie McMahon who became Chairwoman and co-CEO alongside Nick Khan, while Triple H is now Head of Creative.
However, despite the walkout, Lesnar did eventually appear on the show attacking Theory after the main event.
At the time, many fans compared Lesnar’s alleged walkout to Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out of Raw on May 16th. On the following episode of SmackDown the pair were disparaged on commentary in a pre-prepared statement for “letting everyone down.” By comparison, no mention was made of Lesnar until he appeared in the main event.
Speaking at San Diego Comic Con (via Absolute Geek Podcast) former WWE star CM Punk commented on whether he thinks things will change now that McMahon has left his role.
“You think because he tweeted that ‘I’m retired’ that he’s not going to be hands-on?”
Continuing on, Punk said that he didn’t believe the culture would change before heaping praise on Banks and Naomi. In the process he took a shot at the “cowards and bootlickers” who criticised them.
“I don’t think the structure there, the….what’s the word I’m looking for…I don’t think the culture there changes at all. It is what it is. I’ll put it to you like this. Oh boy, people are going to be real fucking mad about this, but fuck it.
Mercedes [Sasha Banks] and Trinity [Naomi] leave, they announce on SmackDown that, ‘gosh darn, we are so disappointed in them, they really let our fans down.’ Brock splits. Comes back, obviously, I think he worked the show. Where is Michael Cole saying, ‘Brock Lesnar really let these fans down.’ I walked out. They went on TV and called me a quitter. What’s changed? What’s the difference? You’re going to attack these two poor women who had enough and walked. They have bigger balls than everybody there. What’s changed? There’s nothing much that has changed.
There’s people that talk about it and people who do it. The people who lick the boots and have the audacity to say that about those two women. Fucking cowards and bootlickers. This shit is ridiculous. Why didn’t they do it to Brock? They did it for me. It’s none of my business.”
Neither Sasha Banks or Naomi have appeared on WWE television since walking out of Raw and handing their Women’s Tag Team Titles to former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. On the may 20th edition of SmackDown it was announced that they had been suspended indefinitely.
H/t to Fightful for the transcription.