Ex-WWE star's criticism against CM Punk prompts honest comment from veteran (Exclusive)

CM Punk was recently targetted by a former WWE star, who had some harsh words for him. This led to much discussion in the pro-wrestling community, and a wrestling veteran has also commented on the topic.

Former WWE Superstar Matt Riddle recently claimed that The Second City Saint was troublesome to work with. He said that Punk was always complaining, despite getting World Title runs. According to wrestling veteran and former manager Dutch Mantell, there was some truth in these comments, but it only related to the early stages of The Second City Saint's career.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine hosted by Mac Davis, Mantell said:

"You know it's always steeped in half-truths and half made up stuff. But I have heard the same thing about CM Punk. He was hard to work with. I think he was maybe hard to work with, I heard, back when he was just starting out." [2:10 onwards]

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You can check out Mantell's comments in the video below:

Dutch Mantell thinks Matt Riddle is trying to get back to WWE

According to Dutch Mantell, Matt Riddle may be laying the seeds for a feud with CM Punk in case he ever gets back to the Stamford-based promotion.

Speaking on the same episode of The Wrestling Time Machine, he stated that if Riddle started teasing a feud with The Second City Saint, WWE writers might be inclined to go with it.

"He is building heat up from the beginning. I am sure he would like to return to WWE again. And if those writers read that, and they get, you read it and all of a sudden you start thinking about it. You can't help it. How would this go? What do you think?" Mantell said. [1:44 onwards]

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For now, it remains to be seen what is next for CM Punk down the line and whether Matt Riddle ever returns to World Wrestling Entertainment.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling along with an H/T for the transcription, and embed the exclusive YouTube video.

About the author

Shubhajit is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda, reporting on WWE news. He has a Master's degree in English and has been working in his current role for over 2 years.

A fan of pro wrestling since childhood, Shubhajit decided to start creating content on the sport out of passion. Before covering a piece of news or rumor, he conducts thorough research, ensuring information in his work is reliable and completely accurate.

Although Shubhajit admires numerous pro wrestlers, his current favorite is WWE superstar Drew McIntyre. He is fond of The Scottish Warrior’s character work and innovative quips.

If there is one storyline he can work on in WWE, Shubhajit would book Roman Reigns’ future with The Bloodline following WrestleMania XL, where he lost to Cody Rhodes. He would have Reigns’ stablemates excommunicate him, laying the foundation for a gimmick change for the former. After Reigns’ exit from the faction, Shubhajit would portray him as an anti-hero trying hard to claw his way back up to the top.

Apart from reporting on pro wrestling, Shubhajit enjoys competitive gaming and reading.

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Edited by Sayantan Niyogi