WWE superstar CM Punk, who triumphantly returned at Survivor Series: WarGames, had departed from AEW in September 2023 after a week-long investigation into his backstage altercation with Jack Perry at AEW All In.
CM Punk had a sit-down interview with Ariel Helwani from the MMA Hour. In the interview, Punk talked about his interaction with Vince McMahon. He mentioned being invited to WWE’s headquarters for a workout and being approached by McMahon’s trainers before meeting McMahon himself. Punk recalled, “I was in there, and I was on the phone on the treadmill warming up. And Vince’s trainers [say] ‘Hey, you’ve got to get off the phone. Vince doesn’t like it when people are on the phone in the gym… And then I saw him walking down into the gym. He came in for his daily workout.”
Furthermore, Punk recounted the short conversation he had with McMahon, who welcomed him back. He stated, “He gave me a big hug. He said ‘Welcome home. Good to see you. Let’s connect after I work out.’ I said alright. Haven’t seen him since [laughs.]”
Punk and McMahon had a difficult relationship when Punk left the promotion in 2014, mainly due to creative differences and other factors that contributed to Punk ultimately leaving WWE. However, it appears that both Punk and McMahon have moved past this and put it behind them.
Two months after Punk’s return to WWE, McMahon resigned from the WWE. McMahon’s decision to step away was influenced by the serious allegations made in a lawsuit against him by a former WWE employee.
CM Punk addresses allegations against Vince McMahon
Various WWE Superstars, including Triple H, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Becky Lynch, and Randy Orton, have faced questions about the Vince McMahon controversy, with CM Punk being the latest addition to the list.
During the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Punk was questioned about the allegations. He responded, “There’s no positivity there. I didn’t read all the allegations, I read text messages and went, ‘Oh, fu*k this.’ It’s indefensible. “I’m kind of shocked at how dumb he was, writing stuff down and leaving that paper trail, it’s horrific.”
He continued, “There are victims here. So what CM Punk thinks about Vince and the CM Punk-Vince relationship doesn’t mean fucking anything here. All that stuff takes a backseat. I’m more concerned about, going forward, how those people survive going through that trauma. He ruined his life ruining other people’s lives, so there’s very much a part of me that’s like, ‘We got him. Good. Shuffle him into the basement.”
Furthermore, he used an analogy to put forth his opinion, “The biggest thing I can draw a comparison to is when Chris Benoit did a murder-suicide. I was friends with Chris Benoit and I’m famously on camera weeping because, at the time, we didn’t know and the week prior I’m travelling with him and he grabs me and runs me into the trainer’s room and his little son is in the training room taping up his hands and putting Xs on his hands.”
He ended by saying, “Obviously, I don’t have memories of Benoit traveling with me and murdering people in a gym. I’ve never been in a room with Vince where he’s sexually assaulting somebody. But there’s part of me where, just like with Benoit, I was like, ‘Okay yeah, I can see it.”
Punk, who was scheduled to appear at WrestleMania 40, has been sidelined from the show due to an injury. However, he is set to be on commentary and participate in the kickoff show.
