Top AEW star receives backslash for defending CM Punk; clears the air on grim situation

AEW was reportedly in turmoil after the infamous Brawl Out incident, with many in the locker room rumored to be upset with CM Punk. However, Dax Harwood recently went to bat for Punk, resulting in him receiving backlash that he addressed in his latest podcast.

According to a report from Wrestling Observer, there were numerous people upset with Harwood for painting CM Punk in a better light. Notably, the former AEW Tag Team Champion called out to both Punk and The Elite to reconcile for the benefit of the promotion.

During the latest FTR with Dax Harwood, the star claimed that he wasn't bothered by those criticizing him on the AEW roster.

“But man, more often than not, people loved it. You know, they absolutely loved the podcast, they love the openness. Like I said on our screener, one thing I will never ever do is I’ll never lie to my fans. Because I think if I lied to them, they could see right through me, or if I think I was sugar coating anything. And I don’t ever want to do that." (H/T: InsideTheRopes)

ECW legend Tommy Dreamer recently commented on the possibility of CM Punk returning to All Elite Wrestling and claimed that he believes it could absolutely happen.

Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results before the show tonight.

The AEW star attributed his approach to the backlash to the advice he once received from Bret Hart

Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, and CM Punk are known for their admiration for Bret The Hitman Hart. The three men have always heavily praised the WWE legend, with many hoping that he might even make another appearance in AEW.

During the same episode of his podcast, Dax recalled Bret Hart once telling him to always go with the truth instead of keeping up with a lie.

“Bret [Hart] said that you can never go wrong by telling the truth. In short, maybe exaggerating, or lying could help you and make you feel better. But in the long run, telling the truth is always the way to go. And so I’m going to pride myself on always telling the truth.” (H/T: InsideTheRopes)

With Dax doubling down on his comments last week, does this affect the picture painted by some outlets about CM Punk and the way the roster feels about him? Ricky Starks notably once claimed that the veteran's absence was felt by the locker room, so have fans been too quick to judge Punk?