Eric Bischoff playfully envisions a major first-time match for AEW All in at Wembley Stadium.
Punk has been absent from AEW since the aftermath of AEW All Out 2022; his heated comments about Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) led to a physical altercation between the two sides, and everyone involved was subsequently suspended. Though Punk has yet to return to AEW, multiple reports suggest that he's on his way back. Fightful Select recently reported that Punk's return has been tentatively planned by the company.
Speaking with co-host Jon Alba on Strictly Business, WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW President Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on CM Punk's potential return to AEW. During the conversation, Alba noted that having Punk on the card for AEW All in at Wembley Stadium seemed like a no-brainer, given his star power. Bischoff agreed, but he described how he believes not booking Punk for the show would make a statement. He then jokingly suggested that AEW should book a match between CM Punk and Goldberg for the event because it would sell tickets.
“That I agree with, and that will probably be the tipping point for young Tony Khan is because there’s a lot of pressure on Tony. I think Wembley’s gonna be great, with or without Punk. I would prefer, if I was Tony Khan, to do it without Punk because that makes a real statement. Who drew the house? Did AEW draw the house, or did CM Punk draw the house? If I was Tony Khan, strategically, looking forward, I would absolutely not book CM Punk on that show, even though I would know that doing so would ensure more sales. I wouldn’t do. I wouldn’t sell my soul to that piece of garbage. I just wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t compromise my company. I wouldn’t dilute my leverage as a brand, depending on a guy who, six months ago, absolutely buried my company, while I was sitting right next to him, acting like a petulant 14-year-old piece of garbage. No, I wouldn’t do it, even though I know that putting CM Punk on the card would ensure a much better turnout. Hey, I’ve got an idea. Book CM Punk and Bill Goldberg. You wanna book something that’s gonna sell out Wembley, book that. Bill Goldberg’s last match against CM Punk. Dare you. Grab your balls, TK. Go with it. Dare you," Bischoff said.
Alba noted that he didn't think seeing Goldberg pop up in AEW was out of the realm of possibility. Bischoff expressed his agreement as he stated that the WWE Hall of Famer could potentially be open to flying to London, facing Punk, and getting a paycheck. He also playfully described how he thought Tony Khan would roll out the red carpet for Goldberg,
“I don’t either. I said this a couple weeks ago, if Bill is money-motivated, and he could be, I don’t think he needs the money, but guys like Bill aren’t about needing the money, it’s about wanting money, and if Bill decides, ‘Hey, couple million bucks to show up over in Wembley, thrash Phil Brooks around a little bit, prove to everybody what he really is and isn’t, I’d take it. Who wouldn’t? It’ll be fun. He’d probably get a private jet. TK will probably fly him over there, roll out the red carpet, hang all over him, give him all kinds of big hugs, say wonderful things about him, give him two, three, four million dollars, whatever. Fly him over there on a private jet. Who wouldn’t do that? I would in a heartbeat," he said.
When a viewer asked whether AEW is too dependent on Punk, Bischoff maintained his stance that he would not compromise the company or the roster for the former world champion. He stated that he would want to prove that the company's success doesn't rely on Punk. Bischoff then described how he thinks the amount of discourse surrounding Punk, rather than AEW and its product, is a poor reflection of the company.
“I wouldn’t compromise my company, or my roster or my brand depending on Phil Brooks. I just wouldn’t do it. I would want my roster and my company to be responsible for the success of Wembley, or even going forward beyond Wembley, not proving to the world that I am beholding and dependent upon one individual who is, at the very least, unprofessional, and in my opinion, highly overrated and overvalued. So yes, I think there is too much dependence on the idea of Punk coming in. It’s what’s driving the discourse around AEW right now. Nobody’s talking about anything else that’s going on in AEW. Nobody else gives a shit. The only thing they’re talking about is CM Punk. To me, that’s bad business. If that’s the only thing people are talking about with your company, after you’ve been around for four years and brought in the level of talent that you’ve brought in and making the moves that you’re trying to make, and all anybody wants to talk about is this pride of garbage, I think that’s a bad reflection on your company. Yes, you are too dependent on this one individual, and I think it’s a mistake. It’s one of the reasons why I feel as strongly as I feel about it," Bischoff said.
In the same conversation, Bischoff stated that, if he was Tony Khan, he would pay CM Punk off and chalk it up to a learning experience. Check out his comments here.
Tony Khan previously stated that he was paying attention to Goldberg's free agent status. Click here to see what he had to say.
Cash Wheeler and Brandon Cutler recently commented on the situation surrounding CM Punk. Click here to see what they had to say.
Joey Janela has joked that he would work with CM Punk if he watched the Rocky movies. Check out his comments here.
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