Matt Hardy addresses the internet rumors surrounding CM Punk’s absence from WWE television
As seen during WWE WrestleMania 42 Sunday, Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to become the new world heavyweight champion. Punk has not appeared on WWE television since the night after WrestleMania.
Last week, unverified Punk speculation surfaced on social media, all alleging some form of tension between him and WWE and/or claiming that he has requested his release from the company. During his podcast, former WWE star Matt Hardy addressed the rumors…
“I think when you are a big star like CM Punk obviously is, and you have a history of some of the things CM Punk has, it’s easy for people to run wild when it comes to the rumor mill. I don’t think that is something that is ever going to go away when it comes to a guy like him because he is such a complex individual.
No doubt about it, he’s a great wrestler, an amazing talker, and an amazing character. He feels very legit, and even if you know him in real life, he really stands 10 toes on whatever it is he’s standing for. Whether he loves you or hates you, it is what it is.
With guys like that, there will always be people trying to dig deeper and saying, ‘There has to be some ulterior motive here. Things aren’t right. There has to be an ulterior motive.’ And, you know, sh*t gets made up all the time in pro wrestling. I see things about me and Jeff and other guys that I know pretty well, and I would imagine that CM Punk is not immune from that either.”
Hardy also responded to the idea that people were expecting more conflict between Punk and WWE when he returned…
“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 there was something he was dead set on doing, he could flex his muscles and get away with it. I think he could sense that Tony wasn’t someone who had been running a wrestling company for decades.
When he 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. A lot of people thought he was going to stir up controversy or create conflict, and he didn’t. He was a by-the-book guy and seemed like a model company employee.
I think it’s hard to dispute that. The guy even went to Saudi Arabia, and I’m sure that wasn’t on his bucket list of things to do, if you know what I mean.”