"A star if Punk's out of the way" - Wrestling veteran claims former WWE Champion benefits the most from CM Punk's potential AEW exit

CM Punk's AEW status has been a heavy topic of discussion in the wrestling industry for weeks. However, after recent reports, wrestling veteran Jim Cornette now believes that Chris Jericho and The Elite will benefit the most with CM Punk out of the way.

AEW's internal investigation has reportedly come to a close, and with The Elite now seemingly close to returning, fans have speculated that the outcome was unfavorable for CM Punk. Additionally, Chris Jericho allegedly called Punk "a cancer", leading to more speculation about the star's status in AEW.

During a recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the veteran pointed out that MJF's build to a babyface and Punk's rumored departure will make Chris Jericho the star of AEW.

"Without Punk, and if MJF suddenly somehow becomes a babyface – not in terms of being popular with the people but in terms of acting like a babyface and destroys his appeal – then without Punk, without MJF, Moxley and Danielson just want to wrestle. They don’t want to get in anybody’s way... So that means Jericho’s a star if Punk’s out of the way and MJF is maltreated by the booking." (04:55 onward)

CM Punk might also just be done with the wrestling industry entirely if the recent speculation in light of AEW's internal investigation is to be believed.

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Cornette believes that the reporting around CM Punk and The Elite's brawl was skewed in one direction

While there have been no official statements from AEW or any of the stars involved, CM Punk and The Elite's brawl seems to have divided fans right down the middle. Fans on both ends have seemingly believed that the other camp was manipulating the situation, and Jim Cornette seems to be no different.

During the same podcast episode, Cornette pointed out that the leaked news and insider scoops seemed to lean heavily in The Elite's favor from the start.

"These guys would rather be the big fish in a f**king fish tank than one of the fish in the Atlantic Ocean. And they’re the ones that ran their mouths from the start, they’re the ones that were doing the campaigning against Punk from the start. All the ‘friendly journalists’ that had a stake in whether or not the Elite were exposed were more than willing to lend a sympathetic ear to their viewpoint." (05:40 onward)

Cornette continued, noting that CM Punk shook up AEW and that this is why he was ousted.

"And it’s funny how it’s all worked out! The one guy that came in and got in everybody’s way and being the star of our show, that one guy – boom – he’s out of the way!" (06:25 onward)

Until AEW or the parties involved are allowed to make a public statement, fans will unfortunately have to continue speculating and watch the situation unfold.

Please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.