As PWMania.com previously reported, CM Punk lashed out at Adam Page and Colt Cabana during the post-show media scrum that followed the 2022 AEW All Out PPV. Punk also directed some of his criticism at the executive vice presidents of AEW’s “The Elite, “if you’re an EVP you don’t try to belittle your top babyface to try to get your niche audience that’s on the internet to hate him for some made-up bullsh*t rumor.” Punk’s remarks sparked a brawl backstage with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega.
During the course of his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley offered his thoughts on Punk’s comments at the media scrum.
“Anything that takes away from the joy and this prestige of winning that title is counterproductive. So if Punk is on camera and he’s not filled with joy, and he’s letting bitterness and anger come out, I think that detracts from the title.”
“Everything Punk did was disastrous because it put Tony Khan in a bad position. Punk I believe was hurt and would have probably been out. It put a lot of eyeballs on the product the next night. That’s a given. It was just really unfortunate. You don’t want to see that side of your superstars.”
“I know when I held that title aloft when I beat this guy (The Rock) for the WWE title, I never thought I was a WWE title guy. So I never based my career on it the way that a lot of people have, but I remember that feeling of just utter joy. I moved pretty good for a big guy when I ran my two or three laps around there and then gave it the impromptu promo. I can’t imagine going backstage and being angry or bitter or taking the joy out of the experience for our fans.”
“I didn’t see Punk’s promo in its entirety, but it put Tony Kahn in a bad position. There’s a time and a place maybe to play with emotions, and if you have something substantial that can make people feel strange in their gut, but not after a title win. I just didn’t like seeing it.”
Foley also talked about Punk dismissing his WWE career:
“I just want him to be happy and understand what an amazing career he’s had. I thought it was a little sad when he came out and basically made it sound like anything that happened after ROH was a waste of time. This guy did some big stuff and he was a great champion. He was kind of like the glue that held that company together. He had great matches with a variety of opponents. If you can’t be happy tearing down the house with The Undertaker, then where are you going to be when you’re 55 or 60 and looking back on your career. I’d like him to appreciate what he did.”
You can listen to the complete podcast below:
(h/t to Wrestling News for the transcription)
