Bobby Fish Explains Why He Kicked Out of CM Punk’s GTS and Calls Out His “Passive-Aggressive” Behavior Backstage

Bobby Fish finally addressed one of the most controversial moments from CM Punk’s early run in AEW—his unexpected kickout from Punk’s GTS finishing move in October 2021.

In a new video published to his YouTube channel, Fish gave a full breakdown of the moment and the drama that followed backstage. Fish opened by clarifying that he had no intention of “going into business for himself,” despite the speculation that surrounded the finish. Instead, he explained that something unusual happened during the pinfall that caused him to instinctively kick out.

“In the moment of the pin, he squeezed my arm—or my leg, or… I don’t, to be honest, it was so long ago I don’t remember exactly what it was. But it’s what we call in the industry ‘the office’ or ‘the Iggy.’ You generally do it to get someone’s attention.”

“There wasn’t a lot of time to think about this. It was ‘do or don’t do,’ and I did — and what I did was kick out.”

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Fish said he figured if it wasn’t intentional, Punk would just pick him up and hit the move again. But things got awkward fast once the match was over.

He said the real issue wasn’t the in-ring moment—it was Punk’s response behind the curtain. Fish claimed Punk avoided a direct conversation about the finish and instead went straight to Tony Khan.

“When we got to the back, my expectation was that I would encounter my opponent, we’d discuss it, I’d apologize, or at least own what happened. That opportunity was not given to me. What was given to me was Mr. Brooks in the ear of Tony Khan… It was obvious to me they were talking about me because they were looking at me and talking.”

Fish confronted them, but Punk and Khan immediately walked away. Fish later found Punk in his private locker room and gave him a second chance to talk.

“He continued to say over and over, ‘No, it’s fine. It’s fine.’ Meanwhile, the way he was saying it made it obvious that things were not fine. To me, it was super passive-aggressive, and it’s not the way men — it’s not the way masculine people — handle business.”

The former Undisputed Era member also didn’t hold back when reflecting on Punk’s MMA career, taking a shot at how he represented pro wrestling during his UFC run.

“When he fought in the UFC, I think he represented our sport pretty poorly. I don’t think the man’s a very accomplished martial artist, and that just is what it is.”

Fish emphasized that while he intended to put Punk over, the unclear moment in the ring and Punk’s refusal to talk it out afterward left him with a bad taste.