Former WWE and AEW star Matt Hardy recently spoke about CM Punk and his time in AEW before returning to WWE. On the The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Hardy highlighted a key difference in Punk’s behavior between the two promotions.
“I felt that when Punk was in AEW, he had a hand on Tony Khan to a degree, so he could push what he wanted and get away with it,’’ Hardy said. “He could read the room, flex his muscles, and get away with it.”
He added that the relationship between Punk and Khan seemed very strong before their recent publicized disputes and that the current status of their collaboration might evolve.
Matt Hardy on CM Punk in AEW vs WWE
Hardy also noted that Punk “couldn’t get away with” that same attitude in WWE: “When Punk returned to WWE, I think he knew he couldn’t behave in that way. He was a by‑the‑book employee and didn’t stir up controversy. It seemed he had learned his lesson.”
Recent rumors about Punk’s WWE status were addressed by Dave Meltzer, who stated that Punk isn’t leaving WWE or returning to AEW at this time. He added that while future changes are possible, nothing is happening now.
For more context, please refer to the original source at F4WOnline.com.
Jake Shooter
Jake is the Head of Audience at F4WOnline, with over a decade of experience covering combat sports and pro wrestling across numerous publications. He has held editorial roles at 24Wrestling, FightFans, and PROGRESS Wrestling, and has been involved in high‑profile interviews with major combat sports brands.
