Former AEW Star Elaborates On His Issue With CM Punk

All eyes have been on All Elite Wrestling since AEW All Out, and that includes talent within the wrestling world. The drama following CM Punk’s press conference has awoken many dormant opinions of the two-time AEW World Champion, one of the most prevalent being Bobby Fish’s. Fish has blasted Punk in numerous interviews, specifically criticizing his move-set. Fish took exception with Punk’s reliance on mixed martial arts within his wrestling style, as he does not view Punk as a true mixed martial artist. On top of that, Fish pointed out that Punk also stole his finisher from New Japan’s KENTA.

Based on his interviews, Fish’s issues with Punk seem to date back years, but they reached a fever pitch last fall. Fish wrestled Punk on an October 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite, resulting in a pinball victory for the Best in the World. Punk hit the Go To Sleep on Fish and slowly crawled to the cover, and as the referee counted to three, Fish shot his shoulder up.

Speaking to Joey G of Wrestling Headlines, Fish admitted that his late kick out was him being “a little bit petty.” 

“The match that I had with Punk, where things go wonky at the end of that match with the kick out on the GTS, which isn’t even his move. That’s me giving into my desire to be a little bit petty in that regard. It’s KENTA’s move and you didn’t even have the decency to change the name. Regardless, the confusion at the end of our match was the fact that he did what’s called ‘the office’ or an ‘iggy.’ This is some inside baseball stuff here. He did that before the three count was over,” Fish said (h/t Fightful). “Having been in the business for a long time, I recognize what that is and have done it myself to somebody to say, in our way, ‘whatever, good match.’ He did it before the three count was over. That’s also a way to alert your opponent that, ‘Hey, let’s change something.’ In that moment, I can liken it to what Tony Khan might have been feeling when he’s going off on the EVPs. You don’t know what to do. In that moment, I know for myself, I had to make a split-second decision, couldn’t weigh out this or that. I had to kick out or not kick out and lose the moment forever. I kicked out.”

Fish pivoted to Punk’s presser, noting he feels bad for the position that AEW President Tony Khan was put in. Beyond that, he believes two of his former bosses would have handled things differently.

“Only reason I bring it up is because we’re talking about it and I do want to extend some grace to Tony in that regard, just because I’ve been there. To be caught in that position, he definitely should have reacted differently, Hunter [Triple H] or Vince McMahon would have potentially folded Phil like a wet nap in that moment, which is probably the right reaction,” Fish said. “In Tony’s defense, that might not be his personality. Here it is, in this moment, he’s hitched the cart of his company to the back of this guy, given him not only a lot of money, but a lot of trust, and you’re kind of shitting all over that right next to him. It’s a sucky position for everyone.”

CM Punk is currently out of action with a torn triceps, and is also indefinitely suspended from AEW.