WWE Legend says his feelings about CM Punk haven’t changed after recent interview, still dislikes him burying Hulk Hogan

Despite CM Punk’s recent interview with Ariel Helwani generating buzz on the internet, it was his candid remarks about AEW that stood out the most. On his podcast, Eric Bischoff shared his unaltered thoughts on CM Punk, despite the wrestler’s new statements.

During his initial interview since departing from AEW, CM Punk openly discussed his thoughts on Tony Khan, his grievances with Jack Perry, and the organization’s overall approach.

Despite agreeing with many points raised by Punk, Eric Bischoff’s opinion of the Second City Saint remains unchanged. On his 83 Weeks Podcast, Bischoff disclosed that he had never met CM Punk in person, therefore never getting to know him as a person.

Bischoff remembered discussing Punk when speculation of his comeback to WWE arose and explaining why he thought it was a more suitable destination for Phil Brooks than AEW.

“The reason my thoughts hadn’t changed is I really didn’t have any thoughts about Phil Brooks, the person. Didn’t know him, didn’t have a feeling one way or another. My feelings about him as a character at the time in AEW have not changed. Now, if you go back and listen, when rumors were floating around that Punk may go back to WWE, I said I think he would do fine there because he is not going to be ‘the guy’ he is going to be part of a team.”[54:00 – 54:58]

Bischoff’s issues with CM Punk originated from the latter’s derogatory remark about Hulk Hogan, which he made after joining AEW and referring to the contentious WWE icon as a “piece of sh**.”

Despite being the former WCW boss, Eric Bischoff strongly believed that CM Punk’s criticism of Hogan was a tactic to win favor with the “internet marks.”Bischoff was convinced that Punk’s comments about the Hulkster damaged his reputation and permanently altered how the WWE Hall of Famer viewed the 45-year-old wrestler.

“Punk was trying to get his heat by burying Hulk Hogan, which is such an internet mark thing to do. That’s like the lowest-hanging fruit. There is cheap heat, and then there is, like, it’s so cheap it doesn’t have any value. When you go out and get yourself over by catering to the internet audience and burying a guy you don’t know, you have no idea what kind of human being Terry Bolea is. You think you do because of what you’ve read and horrible situations he’s put himself in, but that’s not necessarily an indication of who he is, and you don’t know who he is.”[From 46:20 onwards]

Eric Bischoff Praises CM Punk’s “Common Sense”Approach

Despite causing a stir among fans, CM Punk’s comments about AEW’s alleged strategy have garnered mixed reactions. The former wrestler stated that he believes All Elite Wrestling lacks a true business structure and questioned the leadership abilities of Tony Khan. These critiques align with those previously made by Eric Bischoff, who stated that he could envision having a similar conversation with Punk after hearing his thoughts.

Despite Bischoff’s observation, he acknowledged that Punk’s remarks were centered around the fundamental ideals of the wrestling industry, which AEW was reportedly not adhering to.

“Now, after listening to this interview, the person I’m hearing, Phil Brooks, is somebody that I would, it’s likely never going to happen, but sit down, have a steak with that guy? Sure! Because a lot of what he said is rooted in common sense. It’s not a radical theory folks, it’s just basic fundamental business.”[From 55:11 onwards]

True to its promise, Punk’s appearance on The MMA Hour did not disappoint as he openly shared his thoughts on various topics that were previously left unaddressed following his unexpected departure from AEW.