Jason Burgos
CM Punk unleashed with some unfiltered thoughts about WWE’s parent company on Monday Night Raw. But have those comments gotten the World Heavyweight Champion in hot water?
The second-to-last WWE Raw before WrestleMania 42 got off to a fast start last night when Punk began the show to air his thoughts on certain topics. The bulk of his promo was directed at his opponent on Night 2 of the two-night extravaganza next weekend, Roman Reigns.
However, toward the end, he surprisingly veered off and went after one-time announcer Pat McAfee. The popular podcaster and ESPN analyst went viral after he made his return to the company on last week’s SmackDown to run down the brand about perceived issues with the product and sluggish ticket sales for WrestleMania and other events.
Well, that didn’t sit well with one of the faces of the company as Punk tore into McAfee. Then suggested he call his “agent” and tell him to lower ticket prices. The person he was referring to was Ari Emanuel, the CEO of WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings. Who reportedly pushed to have McAfee added to the WWE title storyline and is trying to build him into a star in Hollywood.
CM Punk’s RAW Comments on behalf of many in WWE
The comments surprised many and created speculation that Punk went off script and could be punished by TKO. Well, as of now, that seems unlikely, according to PW Insider Elite, but Punk was speaking for a lot of his colleagues backstage.
“We have not heard of any fallout from the promo, but we are also told much of what Punk said mirrors backstage frustration among talent over the last several weeks,” the outlet reports. “We have heard from several talents who have expressed frustration with the fact that tickets are priced so high, that there are so many left for the top show of the year, and that while there are so many available seats, only two comp tickets are being granted to talent for the night they are performing.”
It must be noted that this year’s WrestleMania is happening in the same city as last year, Las Vegas. That may also be affecting interest in the region, along with ticket prices that are as high as ever for the company.
