Bully Ray believes former WWE Champion is getting the 'John Cena treatment'

WWE legend John Cena is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable stars in recent pro wrestling history. However, at some stage, the star was welcomed with boos, something which Bully Ray believes is currently happening to CM Punk.

While Cena was never as polarizing as Punk, The Second City Saint is arguably AEW's biggest star right now. During his return to Chicago, he was met with resounding cheers, which he naturally took in. But in Canada, fans began to boo him, resulting in the veteran behaving as a heel to play up to the crowd.

During a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray praised the match and compared CM Punk's reaction to how the WWE audience once reacted to John Cena.

"I thoroughly enjoyed [Satoshi] Kojima versus Punk and Punk right now is getting the [John] Cena treatment," Bully Ray said. "Whether they love you or whether they hate you, they have some kind of an emotional response to you."

The WWE veteran continued:

"Now there's a two-fold scenario going on with Punk: People who are going to want to see Punk and cheer him; people who are gonna buy tickets to see CM Punk and boo him. What's the common denominator? Buy tickets." (H/T WrestlingINC)

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Missed out on Saturday's AEW Collision? Catch up with the results right here.

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CM Punk notably emulated WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during both of his recent matches in Canada

WWE legend Hulk Hogan is arguably the only name in pro wrestling more polarizing than CM Punk. In fact, The Second City Saint has even taken shots at him in the past - something Eric Bischoff always points out.

Despite this, Punk still utilized the heat Hogan has in Canada, and during his match at last week's AEW Collision, he used the legend's taunt, signature, and finisher. This resulted in resounding boos from the crowd, and The Second City Saint did it again at Forbidden Door II.

Rumors that the AEW locker room is still divided continue to be reported, despite the many stars speaking out against them. Eddie Kingston, who's well-known for his outspokenness, recently shut down these reports. Could CM Punk's "toxicity" be overblown in the end? Only time will tell.