Key talking points from CM Punk's Ariel Helwani Interview; AEW departure & WWE return

CM Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023 and shocked the entire WWE Universe. He made his in-ring television return at Royal Rumble in a failed pursuit. He was teased at an angle to challenge Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship, but his run was cut-short due to his torn triceps. Punk was written-off from the television and the WrestleMania plans were scrapped.

In his rehab time, CM Punk recently appeared for an interview with Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, where Punk discussed a number of topics including his time in AEW, issues with Jack Perry, AEW Departure, his relationship with Triple H and so on. Here are the key takeaways from his interview with The MMA Hour.

CM Punk on his time in AEW & issues

CM Punk was asked about the All-In incident, where he said that it actually began with AEW not providing transportation for him to arrive at the Wembley Stadium in London.

They eventually went through the Jack Perry incident of backstage altercation. He made it clear that the “cry me a river” message was targeting him. He said that Perry wanted to smash a rental car glass, which he disagreed with. At All In, Perry got influenced by his friend. He took this to Tony Khan and asked him to handle things, however he didn’t take it seriously.

Perry then came after his match and Punk went to ask him why he did the “dumb internet shit”. Punk claims that he didn’t punch anybody, but choked somebody a little bit. Samoa Joe told him to stop and they went on to open the show, but he knew that it was his last time wrestling in the company.

He then said that he didn’t have a word with Tony Khan then. He said that the issues in AEW were “rumors, lies and bullshit”.

While asked about Tony Khan, Punk said that “He is not a Boss. He’s a nice guy”. However he claims that is not his place.

Punk then spoke about Hangman Page’s workers write promo and asked Tony & the lawyer to fix that. Punk said that a lot of things were unplanned and the NDA signings was Tony’s insistence. Punk claims that he is done with AEW and asked for his release.

Punk was asked about his Tricep injury in AEW, where he said that no one talked to him for six months during that time. He compared it with WWE and said WWE does the thing right, by protecting him from himself.

He then spoke about working with Sting, which was cool and said that he is proud of MJF and his future.

CM Punk on returning to WWE & his relationship with Triple H

CM Punk when asked about his relationship with Triple H said, “I think I’m more reserved than he wants me to be. I don’t want to rock the boat. I’m not trying to do this. We’ve had some great conversations and I’m part of the team. I’m doing what I can. I’m sure my responsibilities might grow in the future. I’m totally stoked doing what I’m doing.”

CM Punk on his WWE return said, that the action started during the Thanksgiving week, where he had a CFFC show coming up. He received a call from Nick Khan who said that he wanted to talk to him. Punk said cool, but he was nervous inside. They discussed about potential to come back to WWE & at Royal Rumble. Punk said that he is ready right away.

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