Dutch Mantell claims controversial star was "very easy to work with" before joining WWE

Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell has admitted that one of wrestling's most controversial stars was easy to work with before they made it big in WWE.

The star in question is former AEW World Champion CM Punk. The Second City Saint, over the years, has developed a reputation both on and off-screen as someone who isn't afraid to "tell it how it is."

From his legendary "Pipebomb" promo in June 2011 to his notorious outburst after the AEW All Out pay-per-view in September 2022, when the "Straight Edge Superstar" has something on his mind, you had better be prepared because he will not hold back.

But he wasn't always like that, as Dutch Mantell stated on his podcast, Story Time. According to Mantell, CM Punk was very pleasant to work with during the early years of TNA Wrestling, now known as IMPACT! Wrestling:

“Well, I appreciate that, and [CM] Punk, when I worked with him in the early days of TNA, I read somewhere and somebody said, ‘What do you think of Dutch?’ and he said, ‘Dutch is great.’ He said, ‘he fills you in on where it’s going and what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go.’ And then I always told him that it’s open to interpretation, it’s how you interpret what I give you.—To me, he was very, very easy to work with, but this was before his WWE days, and I don’t know if that changed his mind.” [0:37-1:28]

Punk worked for TNA sporadically between 2002 and 2004, where he was part of "The Gathering" stable led by Raven. However, he left the promotion when the working relationship between TNA and Ring of Honor broke down, with Punk siding with ROH.

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Dutch Mantell thinks AEW president Tony Khan should give CM Punk an ultimatum

Due to his actions after the All Out pay-per-view in September 2022, many wondered whether CM Punk would ever return to AEW, given how many bridges he has burned with people during his time with the company.

Punk has had problems with the likes of The Elite, Jon Moxley, and Chris Jericho backstage. Meanwhile, he also had issues with Hangman Page, Bobby Fish, and Eddie Kingston on camera. But when is enough enough?

Dutch Mantell recently weighed in on Punk's situation by saying that Tony Khan should give him the choice to fix everything that he has broken so far or move on for the good of the company.

It's unclear whether CM Punk will be able to mend fences with anyone in AEW, but as the old saying goes in the wrestling business, anything can happen.

Do you think Punk will make amends with people? Let us know in the comments section down below!

Please credit "Story Time with Dutch Mantell" and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.