Prominent backstage rumor about CM Punk denied by AEW star

CM Punk's reputation took quite a knock after the Brawl Out Incident last year, with many reports claiming he was detrimental to the careers of some stars like FTR. In light of this, Dax Harwood addressed these rumors in a recent interview and shot them down.

FTR's friendship with CM Punk is well documented, and Dax has often defended the star on his podcast. Despite this, there are still many online fans who still maintain that Punk is bad for AEW.

During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes Magazine, Harwood definitely claimed that FTR's 2022 booking was not affected by their friendship with CM Punk.

"I would like to tell you and say, either it is a negative, or I don’t want to speak on that, because people have thought and I’ve read it online, where they think the reason that we didn’t get the success and 2022 that we should have gotten, like, you know, being on TV more and so like it was because we were friends with Punk. Not the case at all, not the case at all," said Harwood. [H/T: Inside The Ropes]

Rumors initially began making the rounds after FTR were reportedly removed from the upcoming AEW: Fight Forever video game.

Many speculated that their relationship with Punk, who had just been involved in the Brawl Out Incident, was the cause for this.

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Dax Harwood also stated that there are more CM Punk supporters in the locker room than reports online are suggesting

Some fans online seem deadset on seeing The Second City Saint ousted from AEW, and staunchly believe that the locker room is against him too.

However, Dax Harwood has continued to support his friend and has now revealed that there are even more CM Punk supporters in AEW.

Continuing in the same interview, Dax emphasized how AEW doesn't care that anyone else on the roster is friends with CM Punk:

"In the back, I think that there are a lot of Punk friends and Punk supporters, a lot more than is being told online, but AEW has never had an issue with him being my friend. We’re friends. I don’t go on television with a wrist tape that says I love Punk. Like, he and I are friends. They know that’s okay, and they know that I’m going to have friends." [H/T: Inside The Ropes]

It remains to be seen if Punk will return to the promotion, but more and more signs are pointing to a reality where the veteran will stay with AEW.