CM Punk’s name has been connected to a few AEW stars who are not allowed on Collision now. It seems that more is coming to light about the issues he had with Ryan Nemeth.
During an unannounced appearance on the June 21st episode of Dynamite, it has come to light that Punk engaged in a backstage confrontation with Ryan Nemeth.
PW Torch reports that this interaction was prompted by a tweet from Nemeth, in which he expressed allegiance to The Elite. In response to Punk’s description of the Young Bucks as “Counterfeit Bucks,” Nemeth had labeled Punk as the “literally the softest man alive.”
Nemeth’s affiliation with the Bucks is well-documented, as he has been featured in their popular “Being the Elite” YouTube video series, showcasing their close connection.
At that Dynamite, PWTorch sources indicated Punk confronted Nemeth in the locker room. The story conveyed to PWTorch is that Punk cornered Nemeth in the locker room, got inches from his face, and angrily and aggressively asked if they had a problem or if they needed to settle things outside. Punk cited to Nemeth that his comments on Twitter inflamed existing tensions and that the optics of the tweet sent a bad message. This incident was witnessed by numerous wrestlers and was characterized as awkward and weird.
Nemeth moved the argument to the hallway, where Punk continued to berate him, according to our sources. Nemeth defended his judgment in calling Punk “soft” since Punk fired the first shots at the Bucks. Punk pushed back that his timing was bad and worked against the public image they were going for that everyone was either on the same page or at least not inflaming prior issues. Nemeth then asked Punk if he shouldn’t react to things Punk says on TV and Punk said that’d be the right choice at that time. Then they shook hands, but apparently the tension was still high as they went their separate ways.
Nemeth confided the incident in friends backstage and asked how to handle the situation. Nemeth has almost no leverage in AEW compared to Punk, who is a much bigger star, so Nemeth backed off and laid low, since his job could be at risk if Punk spoke out behind the scenes against him. He even has since deactivated his Twitter account
Matt Hardy, Christopher Daniels, and others were not allowed to attend Collision tapings, because CM Punk is calling the shots about who is allowed into his show’s locker room. This is a big power move, and fans are responding across the board with their opinion on the matter.
CM Punk’s return to AEW apparently saw him get his own show, one that he can stack full of his friends. Only time will tell what comes out next in this situation. Keep checking back with Ringside News for more.
What’s your take on CM Punk’s big power move in AEW? Sound off in the comments to let us know what you’re thinking!
Felix Upton is a seasoned writer with over 30 years of experience. He began his career writing advertisements for local newspapers in New York before transitioning to publishing news for Ringside News. His expertise includes writing, editing, research, photo editing, and video editing. In his free time, he enjoys bungee jumping and learning extinct languages.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s7XNoKqinJWjsri%2FjZympmdiZX90e49xZmpsX5i6brzUp6Jmr5GoeqK6xquwZpmXnL%2Bmv9KirZ5lp57BqXnRspinZZ6auqbAx2agp2WSlrCsv9Oanp5lmaOwqrDEp6to