Former AEW star gives his honest thoughts on CM Punk's latest controversy

CM Punk was involved in controversy over his past comments. A former AEW star, Matt Hardy, has now shared his thoughts on the matter.

Punk is known for being a controversial star. He isn't afraid to speak his mind, which has often gotten him into hot water. This recently happened again. Previously, Punk used the term "blood money" to refer to WWE's partnership with Saudi Arabia. Despite claiming to have the moral high ground, he ended up competing at Night of Champions 2025, held in Saudi Arabia. As a result, he issued a public apology during the kickoff show for the event, but fans still called him out for going back on his words.

On his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Hardy explained that Punk is one of the top acts in the company and apologized to the fans as part of his job requirement, but he knew he would take a hit for it.

“He’s an employee, he has a job. He’s one of the top guys, one of the top acts in WWE, and they wanted him to do that, and that was, like, his job requirement,” Hardy said. “It’s one of those things, especially if you’re trying to be a good employee… even if something you don’t want to do, you have to know you’re going to take a hit in it.”

He further continued to say that The Straight Edge Superstar will no longer be able to stand on his moral high ground.

“If you proclaim something strongly and like, ‘No, I stand on these words,’ then you kind of, you kind of have to, or your character is going to take a hit, or people are going to say, ‘Well, he’s a hypocrite,'” he stated. [H/T WrestlingNews.co]

---

Matt Hardy believes CM Punk was fine with issuing an apology

CM Punk is a name that has become synonymous with controversy. His first WWE exit was controversial, as was his AEW departure. However, he has since claimed to be a changed person, and his apology during the Night of Champions kickoff show proves that.

On the same podcast episode, Matt Hardy said that he also believed CM Punk was fine with apologizing because he was trying to be a good employee.

“He has to play by the rules and be a good employee, you know, and kind of toe the company line,” Hardy explained. “I think he was okay with that, and he was accepting of that… but at the end of the day, it just is what it is. And he was doing what he’s f—ing told because it’s his job.” [H/T WrestlingNews.co]

It will be interesting to see what's next for CM Punk.