Nick Khan didn’t let the banter about CM Punk being a “cancer” in the AEW locker room change his opinion of the man.
Khan appeared on the Bill Simmons Podcast to promote WrestleMania 41. During the conversation, the pair spoke about CM Punk’s return to WWE and the rumors that followed him on his way out of AEW. Khan defended Punk and said he’s always known the Straight Edge Superstar to be an honest gentleman, and a pleasure to work with since returning to WWE.
“By the way, it was so obvious to me that he wasn’t a cancer. In having been an agent, assume I dealt with some personalities that were not the easiest [to deal with],” Khan explained. “That’s part of the job. I’d always found [CM Punk] to be a gentleman, I always found him to be honest, responsive, and I felt like if he was that way outside of [WWE], if given an opportunity to come back to the company, he would be that way. And he said that he would be, and he’s been a gem to work with.”
Why do people think CM Punk is a locker room cancer?
Chris Jericho reportedly called Punk a locker room cancer after the infamous backstage brawl at AEW All Out. That label was amplified after Seth Rollins called Punk a cancer at a WWE 2K23 media event. Since then, many peers, including Bully Ray and Mark Henry, have spoken out in Punk’s defense and said he was “absolutely not” a cancer.
CM Punk has also directly commented on the allegations. He recently told The Masked Man Show co-host Kazeem Famuyide that it was untrue, and people should make their own judgments about him.
“That’s all bullsh*t. None of that stuff is reality,” CM Punk said. “‘Oh, he’s a cancer.’ Listen, not everybody gets nice me. I treat you accordingly. If you’re a piece of sh*t, and you act that way to me, I will treat you that way. If you’re nice, you’re smiling, you want to have a good time, let’s have a good time. I’m all hugs.
“It’s not like I’m two different people. There are just certain people, ones that spread those lies and say those things about me, because they can’t control me and they can’t control the things I do and say. They absolutely hate that, so they try to control the way other people feel or see me. It’s bullshit. You’re going to have to make your own judgment and draw your own conclusion.”
