Eric Bischoff Calls CM Punk Overhyped

When CM Punk returned to professional wrestling after seven years, he received one of the biggest pops ever. Fans around the world were excited that the Straight Edge Superstar was now All Elite. However, just a year later, all that love turned to hate and trolling after his infamous All Out Press Conference where he fired shots at The Elite and Hangman Page.

This resulted in a backstage brawl, following which all parties involved were stripped of their respective titles and suspended. While The Elite recently made their return to AEW television, there has been no word on Punk’s return. In fact, there have been numerous rumors that CM Punk’s contract will get bought out by Tony Khan.

On a recent episode of his Strictly Business with Eric Bischoff podcast, Eric Bischoff predicted that CM Punk will get a contract buyout. Bischoff’s co-host Jon Alba also agreed that Punk may not return to AEW in any capacity. When he asked if Punk not returning to AEW was a good thing or bad thing, Eric Bischoff did not hold back.

“Part of me jokes around about busting Philip’s (CM Punk) balls because I just I’m not impressed with him. I think he was overhyped and when I say that, look, I understand he came to AEW with a massive amount of mystique and there was a buildup and he did a good job of maintaining that mystique. But, he lost me in his first promo. I mean he showed his ass in such a obvious way to me in his very first promo when he went out there and buried Hulk Hogan. Now, I’m not saying that because I’m friends of Hulk Hogan, I’m saying that because Philip has never worked with Hulk Hogan.

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Philip doesn’t know Hulk Hogan and what Philip was doing was Philip was trying to get himself over with the dirtsheet community mostly Meltzer’s fanbase by buyring someone that Meltzer has been burying for 25 or 30 years in order to get himself over and what that does to me if you’re playing poker with somebody like that, that’s a tell. That tells me this dude does not know how to get himself over without relying on cheap easy heat and that’s what that comment was and I think when you come out as a professional at that level and you’re relying on cheap easy heat regardless whether it’s Hulk Hogan or any other insert any oher big name here that you don’t know and you’ve never worked with I think that’s a tell and minute that happened I went, “this guy is not everything he’s cracked up to be” because if he was, he wouldn’t have to do that and it all went downhill from there.

But, let me just say this I don’t know what went on behind the scenes with The Elite and the backstage drama, conspiracy theories. I’m not discounting it, I’m not discounting that Philip has a b***h. I’m not discounting that perhaps Philip was justified in being really really pissed off. I still don’t think he should’ve done what he did at the press conference. That should’ve been a conversation that Philip had with Tony Khan offline privately one-on-one maybe with an attorney present then it could’ve been productive as opposed to going out there and again showing your ass burying the guy that’s writing your cheques, burying your entire locker room the roster that you have to work with. I just, again, that’s a tell, it’s a big tell.

I do believe that there might’ve been some firew behind all that smoke and why he was upset and if you have that kind of drama going on backstage whether it’s 10 percent real of 80 percent real whatever it is one of us will probably ever know unless you were involved. It’s just unhealthy for everyone nobody’s gonna come out of it good, everybody’s gonna come out of it dinged and I think it will be better for everybody just to go their separate ways.”

As of writing this article, there hasn’t been any official confirmation regarding CM Punk’s AEW status, and Punk is listed as a member of the roster. However, you never know what will happen in the world of professional wrestling. Stay tuned to Ringside News as we keep you updated on this story as it develops.

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h/t to Ringside News for the transcription.