3-Time World Champion can't understand Vince McMahon's "weird power play" with CM Punk in 2018/19 (Exclusive)

Three-time World Champion EC3 described Vince McMahon's weird interaction with CM Punk in 2018/19 as a "power play" move that he simply can't understand, as the topic of the interaction was discussed.

On the latest episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, host Dr. Chris Featherstone asked ex-WWE writer Vince Russo and former TNA and NWA World Heavyweight Champion EC3 about the bizarre meeting between CM Punk and Vince McMahon a little over five to six years ago. In that instance, Punk was seemingly ghosted by his old boss.

EC3 said that neither he nor anybody else can truly understand the thought process of the former WWE head honcho. He speculated that McMahon's ghosting of CM Punk was a power play move to get back at him for the events of 2014 when Punk exited WWE:

"We cannot comprehend the thoughts that this man [Vince McMahon] has had. That's why he was so successful and that's [also] why the downfall was so chaotic. No idea, no idea, don't understand the dynamics one bit, I don't think I ever would [understand]. Unless, of course, it's that that wild power play, like, 'Haha! He thought we had a deal!' Vince Russo will tell you, he's the kind of guy, though, when you shake hands, like to him, that's a very big thing." (4:45 - 5:17)

You can watch the full video below:

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The full context of CM Punk's meeting with Vince McMahon in 2018

Now that the topic has veered about that meeting in 2018 that appeared to be Vince McMahon's way of getting back at CM Punk, what was the full context of the handshake agreement and the eventual ghosting?

In an interview with Barstool Sports, CM Punk described it as a "hilarious, clandestine" meeting with Vince McMahon and Triple H, which happened in Borgata in Atlantic City in either 2018 or 2019. He revealed how he was ghosted by McMahon and, by association, WWE:

"He [McMahon] was like, 'Hey! I’m eliminating the middleman,' and I was just like, 'This is insane,' and it just so happened that, 'Oh, well, I’m gonna be here.' 'Alright, we can get there.' You know, 'Okay, alright' and we had a meeting and we had a handshake agreement and then he ghosted me. So, that’s why it didn’t happen. Unbelievable. I’m gonna write a book someday… It’s a great story. It’s a fantastic story," he said. [H/T - Fightful]

CM Punk admitted in a previous interview with Ariel Helwani that if the old McMahon-led management was still in charge, the odds of him never returning would have been higher. Ultimately, Punk described it as a way of life humbling him, as he had famously said he would never return to WWE after his 2014 exit when everything came crashing down.

Punk did, in fact, meet McMahon after he returned to WWE in 2023, and his former boss hugged him and welcomed him back home. However, it appears that this was their only interaction, as Punk said he has never seen McMahon since then.

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