"WOULD NEVER DO THAT," "Thank you Punk" - Fans react to CM Punk allegedly stopping WWE legend's appearance on AEW show

A former AEW star has just made a bold claim regarding CM Punk, as they mentioned how he might've been the reason for an unfortunate situation that happened to them during their time in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Fans have reacted to this but many were not amused by this.

During a recent edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt Hardy talked about how in 2023, he was asked to make an appearance during an episode of Collision, to be ringside for Ethan Page's match against MJF. However, he turned this down due to wanting to spend time with his family. Both Friedman and Tony Khan asked if he could still change his plans, and he eventually gave in.

He had his flight changed and arrived at the venue for his on-screen appearance, but was told at the last minute that he was no longer needed. Hardy was furious and had a hunch that CM Punk may have had the last word, seeing as his input on the show's booking was important to Tony Khan.

Fans have now reacted to this, and most of them seemingly sided with The Straight Edge Superstar. Some of them did not take Hardy's claim seriously, with one stating that this was purely an assumption. Some even went after the veteran for this.

Fans react to Hardy's claim [Fan Reactions on X]

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Matt Hardy comments about CM Punk's Saudi Arabia appearance

CM Punk being at Night of Champions recently sparked a lot of discourse online, given how in the past, he had been vocal about disliking how WWE has been holding their shows in Saudi Arabia.

On the same episode of the podcast, Matt spoke on the matter. He gave credit to CM Punk for being a good employee and mentioned how he did not have an issue with anything that Punk did. He mentioned how this was him just doing his job.

"Long story short, I think he's talented. I do think he's good. There are things we definitely see differently. We don't see eye to eye on everything. I think, personally, he's a good employee. He's doing his job, going to Saudi Arabia. I don't have an issue with it. I don't have an issue with it. I get where people would think it was hypocritical in some ways, but at the end of the day, it just is what it is, and he's going to do what he's f**king told because it's his job," Hardy said. (From 1:11:41 to 1:12:05)

At the end of the day, any speculation of a misunderstanding between Punk and Hardy may purely be an assumption by some fans. The two work for different companies now and are thriving in their respective roles.