Former WWE Champion CM Punk has been one of the most controversial superstars among professional wrestlers of his generation. The Best in the World is now a popular name in AEW and has been enjoying immense success in his run with the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Due to his popularity, Punk is one of the biggest merchandise sellers for the company, however, a recent merchandise release has put him in a controversial situation. All this started after AEW shared a post about the release of CM Punk’s ‘Best in the World’ Trans Pride shirt, whose royalties will be donated to Trevor Project.
Buy your CM Punk trans pride shirt today
— AEWNeckbeardsああ、首ひげ🥰🌈 (@AEWNeckbeard) August 8, 2023
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After the announcement of his shirt release by the Jacksonville-based promotion, a video of Punk started surfacing in which Punk was seen making some controversial remarks. In the video, the former WWE champion is seen insulting a fan for being gay, and due to his comments in the video, people are referring to him as a Homophobe.
It must be noted that the viral video is from Punk’s days at the Triple-H-led promotion. The Best in the World made these comments during a WWE event in Australia back in July 2011. Even though the video is more than a decade old, fans aren’t considering it to be a factor and have been calling Punk a Homophobe.
CM Punk’s outburst at the post-AEW All Out press conference in 2022
While CM Punk insulting a fan for being gay is something even his fans wouldn’t have liked, this isn’t the first time his name has come into controversy made during his stint with the Jacksonville-based promotion. The former WWE champion made it into the headlines due to his outburst at the post-AEW All Out Press Conference in 2022.
This happened after Punk’s successful title defense against Jon Moxley at AEW All Out on September 4, 2022, in Chicago. As the former WWE star appeared at the post-AEW All Out press conference, he unloaded on Colt Cabana. The Best in the World also took shots at the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega over reports that he pushed AEW to part ways with Cabana.
Punk said, “It’s not [Khan’s] position to make it very f**king clear. There’s people who call themselves EVPs that should have f**king known better. This sh*t was none of their business. I understand sticking up for your f**king friends, I f**king get it, I stuck up for that guy [Cabana] more than anybody. OK? I paid his bills until I didn’t and it was my decision not to”. (Via: New York Post)
It was also reported that the Punk was involved in a physical altercation with the Young Bucks. The former WWE champion allegedly hit one of them with punches before the officials broke up the fight. CM’s outburst led to a lot of damage to his reputation, and he later had to apologize for his comments.
Even though this outburst saga happened nearly a year ago, it’s still absolutely fresh among professional wrestling fans, and whenever CM Punk gets into a controversy, it attracts their attention.