Cody Rhodes comments on Punk, subtext points toward hope that he doesn’t bring drama and toxicity with him from AEW
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
During last night’s post-Survivor Series press conference, Cody Rhodes said he thinks C.M. Punk is “hungry” and that could bring out the best in him. “If he can help with where we’re going and what we’re doing, absolutely welcome aboard,” Cody said. “I have a feeling that the C.M. Punk that we’re potentially getting is hungry and that’s the best – when someone is hungry, when somebody wants it, when it’s real.”
Punk, having been fired from AEW after lashing out with frustration over what he felt was a lack of proper conduct and accountability within the company, could be entering WWE with the intent to prove he wasn’t the problem and then succeed at a high level in WWE to show Tony Khan and others in AEW what they missed out on.
Cody stressed that WWE is a harmonious place right now, though, with the subtext of his comments being that he hopes Punk doesn’t bring any toxicity or ignite needless backstage drama now that he’s in WWE.
He acknowledged some wrestlers will be upset that Punk is back and others will welcome him. He said you’d get “a wide range of reactions” if you polled all the wrestlers. Some of that might be playing into the storyline that started with Seth Rollins’ reaction in front of the fans last night when Punk came out, but it is reflective of reality too. “I’ve never seen a more team mindset than I’ve seen here,” he said about the current state of WWE. “I don’t want it to end.”
He said business is great and it seems everybody wants to be there these days, “so the more, the merrier, come on board.”
NOTE: Last night, I recorded a 90 minute Post-Survivor Series Roundtable Podcast for PWTorch VIP members with Todd Martin and Nick Barbati. During that podcast, I reported in real time what I was hearing about the dramatic reactions of Seth and Drew McIntyre once Punk walked into the area to his music, and shared what reactions I was getting from people within WWE to the news as the podcast progressed, with four or five different conversations with Todd and Nick reacting to the developing situation in between our analysis of the matches themselves.
Then I recorded another VIP Keller Hotline for VIP members a couple hours later with additional behind the scene details and insights including why Seth is playing along despite negative feelings about Punk in the past. I also posted a lengthy written report with all of the information in that Keller Hotline with tons of insight and details on the breaking news.
For information on becoming a PWTorch VIP member to catch up on our coverage last night and be part of our ongoing insider insights and top shelf analysis of the industry on a weekly basis, CLICK HERE.
Current VIP members can jump right to that VIP exclusive Keller Report on the Punk situation here:
VIP EXCLUSIVE – KELLER UPDATE: More details on the C.M. Punk return to WWE, Seth and Drew reactions, Triple H and Cody at post-event media Q&A
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