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Ryan Nemeth recently shed light on why he took a dig at CM Punk on social media during their time together in AEW.
On June 17, 2023, Punk appeared on the first episode of AEW Collision after a nine-month absence from television. The Best in the World refused to apologize for his role in the infamous backstage incident at All Out 2022. Instead, he told fans "that the only people softer than you are the wrestlers you like."
Nemeth later wrote on X that Punk is "literally the softest man alive," prompting speculation about real-life issues between the two.
In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Nemeth clarified that he was merely trying to further his on-screen persona online:
"I'll tell you that there's some things I can talk about and some things that I can't talk about, but I can very happily tell you about my tweet. The top good guy on the TV show was missing for eight months due to what I was told was a triceps injury, right? And on his very first night back he, in character, called someone else soft, and so I thought, 'Well, I'm a heel, this is a babyface. We both work for the same wrestling company.'" [12:40 – 13:08]
It was widely reported that CM Punk did not want Ryan Nemeth backstage at AEW Collision shows following the social media post. While Nemeth did not confirm or deny that rumor, he did take a light-hearted shot at the current WWE star's injury record:
"He gets injured more than anyone who's ever wrestled, and on his very first night back, in character, called someone else soft. I thought, 'What else am I supposed to do? Of course, I must respond to this, in character,' and I did. Anything beyond that I guess I'm probably not safely able to talk about at this time during this interview, but I think that's a very reasonable thing for a bad guy heel to say in response to the heroic babyface who seemed to be a little bit hypocritical." [13:08 – 13:41]
In September 2023, Punk was fired by AEW following a separate alleged backstage incident with Jack Perry at All In 2023. The veteran wrestler returned to WWE in November 2023 after an absence of almost 10 years. However, he suffered another triceps injury on his televised return in the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble match.
Ryan Nemeth cannot discuss his AEW absence
On November 4, 2023, Ryan Nemeth teamed up with Peter Avalon in a losing effort against Paul Wight in an untelevised match at a Collision taping. On the same night, he was also on the losing side in an eight-man Ring of Honor tag team match.
Asked about his recent absence, Nemeth said he cannot elaborate on why he has not appeared on AEW television of late:
"I will very diplomatically tell you that is a topic I just can't talk about at the moment. Everything I've ever done with AEW I've been very proud of, and I appreciate the time, every single match I had there and all the friends I made, and it was a great experience, and TBD." [7:26 – 7:48]
Moving forward, Ryan Nemeth will challenge Gilbert for the World Wrestling Council (WWC) Puerto Rico Championship this weekend.
What do you make of Ryan Nemeth's remarks? Let us know in the comments section.
WWC presents Camino a la Gloria (Road to Glory) on Saturday, March 30, at 8:00pm (ET) at the Ruben Zayas Arena in Trujillo Alto. Tickets are available at Rayting Mini Market and on the same day of the event directly at the venue.
You can also catch Ryan Nemeth at the Hunkamania comedy show at Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, April 3. He will be joined by his brother Nic Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler in WWE.
Please credit Sportskeeda WrestleBinge and embed the video if you use Ryan Nemeth's quotes from this article.
