"Doubt he'd defend this now" - Fans up in arms as old controversial CM Punk clip resurfaces

CM Punk will undoubtedly go down as one of the most controversial stars in the history of professional wrestling. The divisive figure once again finds himself in the hot seat as an old video of The Second City Saint recently resurfaced on social media.

This came about after AEW released a CM Punk-branded t-shirt in support of transgender pride, with all the proceeds going to The Trevor Project, an organization that caters to LGBT youth.

This prompted many to bring up a controversial interaction The Straight-Edge Superstar had with a fan at a WWE Live event over a decade ago. In the video, Punk can be seen using a homophobic remark to berate an audience member.

Punk apologized for this incident the following day, tweeting the following:

"I'm glad TMZ posted that video because everybody needs to be held accountable for their bullsh*t, me included. What I said was bullsh*t. I'm embarrassed. I own up to being a total do*che in this situation and I offer a sincere apology to anybody I hurt with careless words."

The entire debacle has since been largely forgotten, but that has not stopped some fans from sharing their takes on AEW's new merchandise and accusing both the company and Punk of virtue signaling:

Other fans have taken a more lenient approach and have noted how the self-proclaimed Best in the World has made strides in growing and learning from this incident:

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CM Punk successfully defended his "real" AEW World Championship

After a lengthy spell away from the company, CM Punk returned to AEW on the premiere episode of Collision. In the weeks after, he carried a red bag with some sort of mystery item inside. The contents of the bag have since been revealed to be the AEW World Championship which Punk was stripped of following the Brawl Out incident last year.

Punk claimed that because he was never defeated for the title, he is the "real" World Champion and defended the belt against Ricky Starks on the most recent episode of Collision.

While the direction for this storyline is still somewhat unclear, it seems as though a unification match will eventually be set up between Punk and MJF, with both men putting their respective titles on the line.

The Voice of the Voiceless and The Salt of the Earth previously had a well-received feud. So, fans will no doubt be eager to witness an encore of this saga. However, only time will tell whether this actually comes to fruition.