Matt Riddle is another man that doesn’t particularly like CM Punk.
It’s pretty safe to say that the former WWE Champion’s return has been quite a success. Following his tumultuous end in AEW, CM Punk came back at Survivor Series 2023 and may people were skeptical about the 46-year-old’s return.
However, CM Punk genuinely seems happy to be back in WWE and there hasn’t been any negative reports regarding Punk’s behavior that ended his AEW career. Well, at least any public negative reports. According to “The King of Bros” himself, there’s some backstage who feel that CM Punk is still a headache.
While speaking to Going Ringside, Riddle talked about the possibility of joining AEW, and he stated that he’s interested in becoming “All Elite”. However, that’s when he brought UP CM Punk and the former WWE star didn’t exactly have nice things to say about Punk.
"They're still rebuilding. You know, I'm not a big fan of that guy either. That guy sucks at fighting and he's a bitch to work with in the back. (why?) Because he just belly aches and complains. This guy complains about getting multiple world title runs. I've heard from my boys that still work there (WWE) that he is a headache, and this isn't a storyline, this is the facts. So, this is what it is."
Will CM Punk respond?
It’s highly unlikely, but Riddle did grab some attention talking about the current WWE star. This isn’t the first time that Riddle has criticized Punk as he notably took shots at the man’s failed UFC career in past interviews. There’s no confirmation on whether Punk is a pain in the ass backstage or not, but his run continues to be a huge success regardless.
As for Riddle, he’s currently holding it down as the MLW World Heavyweight Champion in Major League Wrestling. Thus far, he’s managed to keep the belt for 152 days; the 39-year-old is fresh off a win over Donovan Dijak at MLW Azteca Lucha 2025. Never say never in the wrestling business as we could see Riddle end up in AEW someday.
However, it been reported back in 2024 that Tony Khan had zero interest in bringing Matt Riddle to AEW. Given Riddle’s controversial end to his WWE run, that’s not surprising at all. Of course, time can make the heart grow fonder, but as of now, don’t expect to see an all elite graphic for “The King of Bros”.