Matt Hardy is taking another look at CM Punk’s AEW run, and he thinks Punk knew exactly how much pull he had.
Hardy has already talked about one messy AEW situation where he believed Punk may have blocked him from appearing on Collision after Tony Khan had already told him he was needed for the show. Hardy said that whole ordeal messed up his travel, cost him time with his family, and left him feeling like Punk had too much influence over what happened around Collision.
Now Hardy is giving his bigger read on Punk’s entire AEW run. Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy said Punk seemed to understand that he had Tony Khan’s ear and could push for what he wanted.
“I feel like when Punk was in AEW, he knew he had a hold on Tony Khan to a degree, that he could kind of get away with what he wanted. If he had something he was dead set on wanting to do, that he could kind of flex his muscles and he could get away with it. I think he could sniff that out of Tony, from Tony not being around and running a wrestling company for decades or years, whatever.”
That is where Hardy sees a big difference between Punk in AEW and Punk in WWE. In AEW, Hardy believes Punk had enough influence to flex when he wanted. In WWE, Hardy thinks Punk understood right away that the same approach would not fly.
“I think when he [Punk] came back to WWE, I think he knew he couldn’t get away with that same type of attitude or mentality. It is what it is. He came back there and a lot of people thought he was going to stir up some sort of controversy or conflict, and he didn’t. He was a by-the-book guy, and it seemed like he was a model company employee. I think it’s hard to dispute that.”
So, Matt Hardy is not saying Punk has been the same guy everywhere. He actually gave the Second City Saint credit for how he has handled himself since returning to WWE, saying he has been a model employee there.
But when it comes to AEW, Hardy clearly believes the environment let Punk operate differently. In his view, Punk recognized Tony Khan’s inexperience compared to long-running wrestling bosses and used that room to his advantage. Bottom line, Hardy thinks Punk’s AEW run got messy because he knew how much influence he had, while his WWE return has been smoother because he knows the rules are different there.
What do you think about Matt Hardy’s take on CM Punk’s AEW and WWE runs? Drop your thoughts below and leave your feedback.