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Disco Inferno has often slammed AEW for not maximizing CM Punk's return to pro wrestling last year.
Punk, arguably the biggest acquisition on the company's roster to date, has had an underwhelming run with the promotion thus far. While his recent feud with MJF gave everyone a glimpse of his old personality, Punk's matches against a string of underwhelming opponents didn't enthrall the wrestling audience's interest.
While speaking on the Keepin It 100 podcast, Inferno shared his belief that CM Punk didn't appeal to the audience as much as everyone expected. The WCW veteran added that The Second City Saints' booking had a "detrimental" impact on his stint:
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"I think the overall general backlash against Punk was the fact that it didn't draw as much as he could have if he would have been like, come in hot. You know, I think that's the only thing that's really been detrimental to his run there is the fact that it just took so long to get where they were going, you know, it just got boring after a while, and I don't think the interest has picked up considerably since the time they brought him in and the numbers kind of show that." (1:28 onwards)
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Although Punk didn't receive the same push as other ex-WWE stars ike Bryan Danielson or Jon Moxley, the 43-year-old has helped elevate younger talents.
His matches against Darby Allin, Matt Sydal, and Wardlow, to name a few, were testament to the veteran's primary role in the wrestling business.
CM Punk hasn't appeared on AEW television since Revolution 2022
At the AEW Revolution pay-per-view, CM Punk finally put away his greatest adversary in MJF. The two collided in a brutal Dog Collar match, which saw The Straight Edge Superstar emerge victorious with some help from Wardlow.
Punk and Friedman are currently tied at 1-1 in singles competition, meaning the company can book a rubber bout between the two down the road.
However, The Salt of the Earth has kickstarted a new rivalry with his former henchman Mr. Mayhem, who cost him the match against Punk.
Meanwhile, the latter has been absent from AEW programming for two weeks straight. Dave Meltzer has reported that the former WWE Superstar is busy shooting for season two of the Starz sequel, Heels.
(If you use any quotes from this article, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling)
