On the August 17 episode of AEW Dynamite, CM Punk called out Hangman Page in a moment that no one reportedly knew about.
Punk heading for a clash with Jon Moxley, but took time in his promo to offer Hangman his AEW World Title rematch, challenging him to come to the ring. Hangman did not appear and Punk said, "That's not cowboy shit, that's coward shit."
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, when asked about the unscripted promo, Punk said his job is to sell tickets and events.
Speaking his Undisputed Podcast, Bobby Fish addressed the situation.
"I wasn't there, and even if I was there, it doesn't mean I would have inside information on it. I don't even know what the feeling was backstage. It's interesting that there is a very blurry line and that blurry line is what pro wrestling is supposed to be. Did he go into business for himself? It's up for debate," he said.
When his co-host recalled the segment and discussed Punk sitting cross-legged in the ring, Fish joked, "Criss cross apple sauce. That's an imposing stance to take. Criss cross apple sauce, nothing screams 'I'm a bad ass' like criss-cross apple sauce."
Fish was then asked what he would do if he was called out by someone in an unplanned moment on television.
"If it's completely off the cuff and I'm completely taken aback by it, I'm headed out to the ring. Of course, I would run it...I'm not going to say 'run it by' the powers that be because, to me, it just comes down to being a man. I'm not calling Page out for not being a man, let's not get this wrong. I'm sure Page, if he had no idea, I'm not sure he was in the building or what the situation was. I'm saying, if I hear that, the way my brain works in the pro wrestling industry, I'm headed out to the ring. I'm going to answer my critics or whatever you want to call it. I would try to run that by the boss man, whoever that is, and I would hope to have their blessing as I go out to the ring. However, I'm going unless somebody stops me. if you're calling me out, I have to answer that call or else I lose all credibility. I'm not sacrificing my credibility for anyone, especially not someone who, allegedly, is going into business for themselves. Personally, having been in the wrestling business for 20-something-odd years now, I think that's an element, at times, missing from our business, if I speak frankly. It's an element missing from our business, today's version, a palpable conflict where the line is, at the very least, very blurred and confusing. I mean confusing in a good way. Unfortunately, in our industry, people are so afraid of ruffling feathers that they miss the boat. Two guys can still be professional and have conflict and not see things eye-to-eye. That's okay, we're adults. I'm okay if it gets behind the scenes, if it were to get physical. There's a lot of testosterone involved in this, a lot of masculine energy," he said.
Fish continued, recalling an incident with Dax Harwood.
"I will speak from a personal standpoint and I will name names because who gives a fuck. FTR and us, we had a thing, and I won't really get into the details, but Dax and I got into it. At the end of the day, we're both able to be completely professional about it. Even if we weren't, it's okay, and you could have put us on TV that night or the following week and we would have been professional, but there would have been animosity and conflict, and still to this day there probably would be. That's money," he said.
FTR and reDRagon have only mixed it up once on television, which happened on the February 23 episode of AEW Dynamite when both teams were part of the AEW World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Battle Royal.
Fish hasn't been in AEW action since the July 18 episode of AEW Dark: Elevation, but was part of DEFY Doomsday on August 20.
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