AEW Star Reveals Advice From CM Punk

By Liam Crowley

CM Punk's future in professional wrestling may be in doubt, but the mark he left on the business is permanent. Nearly a decade before returning to the ring, Punk's famous "pipebomb" promo from a Summer 2011 edition of Monday Night Raw is often credited for opening WWE's eyes to getting behind its stars from the independent circuit. His popularity inspired dozens of would-be wrestlers, including a young Long Island native who grew up to be Maxwell Jacob Friedman. While it's unclear whether he will be back in AEW or not, Punk often touted having his door "open" during his first year in the company.

That said, Punk did not just wait for talent to approach him for advice. Speaking on The Family Business podcast, Brock Anderson revealed that the Second City Saint once pulled himself and tag partner Lee Johnson aside following their AEW Rampage tag bout against FTR.

"When we come back through the curtain, [Punk] motions us over and [say he wants to talk to us]. He pulls me and Lee into his room and says, 'Alright, what do you think you did right?' We had an opinion that we thought we did something good, and he's like, 'Absolutely not.' He told us what we did right and it wasn't even what we thought it was," Anderson said (h/t Fightful). "A light bulb went off and he was like, 'Alright, what do you think you did wrong?' and we listed all of that off.

"Just for a guy of CM Punk's magnitude, the top guy in the business at the time, to take the time to [show] two greenhorns what [they] did right, what [they] did wrong, and what [they] can improve on, that was a really cool moment. I just have to acknowledge it because he didn't have to do that at all."

During the now infamous AEW All Out press conference, Punk took issue with talent who did not want advice from the veteran wrestling minds in the AEW locker room. This was seemingly directed at Hangman Page, who said in a previous interview that he's "stubborn" when it comes to heeding wisdom from others.

"I'm stubborn. I don't take advice. That's probably the honest answer," Hangman said this past summer. "I listen to people say things, but very rarely do I listen hard. I was part of the movement that created the entire company, and I'm a world champion. I don't know that I need their advice. I'll certainly listen, but I think there's something to be said about trial and error and doing it on your own."

Punk is currently out of action with a torn triceps and is not expected to return to AEW.

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