"He’s gonna bury the company when he leaves" - WWE veteran addresses rumors of CM Punk threatening to leave AEW (Exclusive)

CM Punk has recently caused a lot of controversy in the wrestling world after alleged rumors sprung up about him threatening to quit. In light of the issues, a WWE veteran has addressed them and provided his take on them.

AEW is seen as a "better" promotion in terms of creative freedom and attentive care for its stars. However, this reputation has recently begun to shift since Cody Rhodes left the promotion and MJF's backstage issues became public. While none of the rumors have been proven, some outlets believe that CM Punk has divided the locker room.

During the most recent episode of Sportskeeda's Smacktalk, WWE Veteran Dutch Mantell spoke on the rumors of CM Punk and other AEW stars threatening to leave the promotion.

“I don’t like that in the dressing room. ‘Oh, I’m gonna quit, I’m gonna quit.’ You had no problem in taking the job. I think it’s very unprofessional if Punk had said stuff like that. And if he gets his way? That sets a very, very bad example to all the other guys on AEW. And Tony Khan, if he has any balls at all, he’ll stand up to him and tell him if he wants to leave he can leave," Mantell said. (06:55 onward).

Check out the full episode below:

The veteran continued, noting how he would handle the issue if he were Tony Khan.

"Then, if I was Tony Khan, I’d get up on that TV myself and I would bury him. Because he’s gonna bury the company when he leaves if he’s mad, anyway. So go on TV and bury him first, that’s what I would do. It’s been done before and will be done again, so hopefully, they’ll get this straightened out because there’s a lot of things about AEW that needs work on." (07:41 onward).

AEW has notably been tight-lipped about any of the backstage issues, regardless of whether they were true or untrue.

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CM Punk recently personally addressed the rumors of AEW stars being unhappy with him

CM Punk has always been rumored to be difficult to work with backstage, which could have been why he fell out with WWE. Former interim WWE GM, Jonathan "Coach" Coachman, even sarcastically responded when rumors of Punk threatening to walk out came to light.

During an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, CM Punk invited the AEW locker room to speak to him personally.

“If I addressed every rumor, I’d be here all day. I love AEW. It’s one side of the story,” Punk said. “My locker room is never closed. It’s always open. Anybody who wants to DM Meltzer some bulls**t can come talk to me about it. It’s not macho, stupid bulls**t. I’m an adult. Come talk with me.” (H/T: Fightful)

With all the heat surrounding him and recently losing the AEW World Championship, will CM Punk turn this rumor into an angle, finally turning heel in All Elite Wrestling?