Konnan Disagrees With How AEW Handled CM Punk When He First Debuted

Konnan has criticized AEW for mishandling CM Punk's debut in August 2021. Punk, who returned to the business for the first time in seven years, was instantly placed in a rivalry with Darby Allin, whom he proceeded to defeat in his comeback match. 

While the match itself was widely praised by fans, especially for the two wrestlers pulling off a step-by-step recreation of the iconic Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid match from 1994, Konnan believes the rivalry did not elevate Allin's status and essentially halted the momentum generated by Punk's return.

"When he first came back, I was certain that place [Chicago] would melt and he'd pop a rating, which he did," Konnan said on his "K100" podcast. "Then, the problem was — and this was not Tony's decision — he wanted to wrestle with these young talents. The problem is these talents weren't over, and to this day, are still not over. In my mind, you [Tony Khan] don't do what Punk wants, you do what the fans want. That was a mistake. They mishandled him coming back."

Konnan then used an MMA analogy by asserting that it would make zero sense for a returning Nate Diaz to fight an unknown name. "You throw him in there with a top guy," yelled Disco Inferno, as he agreed with his podcast co-host.

Shortly after his rivalry with Allin, Punk announced his decision to go through a gauntlet of wrestlers with the goal to climb the now-defunct AEW Rankings. On that journey, he wrestled the likes of Powerhouse Hobbs, Eddie Kingston, and Wardlow until his critically-acclaimed program against MJF, which culminated in a bloody Dog Collar Match. 

Within ten months of his debut, Punk defeated Adam Page for the AEW World Championship, joining Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley as the only wrestlers to hold world titles in both AEW and WWE.