Eric Bischoff Responds To The Idea That CM Punk Is Under The Devil Mask In AEW

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist" were words uttered by Kevin Spacey in the movie "The Usual Suspects," but in the wrestling world, the quote will always be associated with CM Punk. And if Punk is indeed revealed to be the man behind the devil mask in the ongoing AEW storyline, the veteran wrestler would have once again pulled a fast one.

Even a notorious AEW detractor such as Eric Bischoff would be pleasantly surprised if Punk's AEW dismissal turns out to be a work. "We're dealing in fantasy land here, so I preface everything I'm saying with a, 'I don't believe any of this is real,'" Bischoff began on his "83 Weeks" podcast. "If this [Punk's firing] was something that was conceived initially — back when CM Punk first went off on Tony Khan and had his meltdown and [had] his issues with The Bucks and whoever else he had issues with — if that was all a work, and this is the result of it, I'll put it over as the best story ever been told. But if this is just making chicken salad out of chicken s***, it doesn't qualify as a story, or an arc, or [a] plan. It's just a Band-Aid, and a much needed one."

Bischoff believes if Punk is revealed to be the man behind the devil mask, a portion of the AEW fanbase will cheer him passionately, but he also expects a "collective moan" from another section of the audience that cares more about AEW's future stars. This past week on "AEW Dynamite," the mystery person in the devil mask, and his band of assailants, took out The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn just before AEW World Champion MJF could rescue them. The group had previously targeted Bullet Club Gold, Roderick Strong, and others who've been in the crosshairs of MJF.