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Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell has weighed in with what he thinks CM Punk should do with his future if he chooses not to return to AEW.
Punk has been away from the limelight since the controversial "Brawl Out" incident following the All Out post-show media scrum where verbally blasted Colt Cabana, Hangman Page, and The Elite. His fiery remarks allegedly led to an altercation between The Straight Edge Superstar and the AEW EVPs.
Besides the backstage skirmish, Punk suffered a severe arm injury during his match against Jon Moxley. Hence, he is set to be out of action for several months, marking the second major injury he has suffered in a short time.
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Speaking to Sid Pullar III on Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk, Dutch Mantell was asked about CM Punk's potential future in the business. In response, the veteran noted that Punk had already passed his peak as an athlete.
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“[CM Punk]’s over that magical 40, which is—and I would think now in wrestling days unless you’re really really good or you’re really a star, 35 is kind of the cut-off point I think. You could tell by watching him he didn’t have the same—he made mistakes or he was a little bit slow, and that comes with age." [1:38 - 2:07]
Mantell clarified that he wasn't knocking the former AEW World Champion due to his age. However, he stated that the older you get, the harder the bumps will feel, something he knows from experience.
"I’m not faulting him because of that, and as you get older it hurts, I mean you can’t be taking these bumps when you’re 40 years old. I mean you can, but it’s just going to hurt more and more, and eventually there comes a point that your body says ‘screw it, I’m not doing it no more.’ I mean it will tell you when you get up in the morning it will hurt more and more and more because I’ve been through it.” [2:08 - 2:33]
You can watch the full video from SmackTalk right here:
Dutch Mantell doesn't think CM Punk needs WWE and vice versa
One possible option is that CM Punk could potentially make a shocking return to WWE after his rumored AEW departure. The Stamford-based company has undergone drastic changes since Punk left in 2014.
However, Dutch Mantell feels a move to WWE won't benefit either party as he thinks neither one of them needs the other.
“With WWE they don’t need CM Punk, I don’t think he needs them. If he goes to Hollywood, more power to him.” [4:20 - 4:31]
Punk is set to be on the sidelines until Spring 2023 due to his arm injury. This means that wherever he ends up, it will be a while before fans see him in action again.
Do you agree with what Dutch Mantell had to say? Let us know in the comments section down below.
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