CM Punk wasn’t a fan of the ‘ugly’ AEW All In footage being aired, but believes it showed that he remains a top draw in that promotion. The footage in question was broadcast on the April 10, edition of AEW Dynamite and sparked debate among fans and wrestling insiders as to whether it was the right call.
Speaking to Jimmy Traina on the SI Media Podcast, Punk shared his thoughts to the footage in question being aired.
“It felt really ugly, but then I was like, showing that footage isn’t going to help them or hurt me, so whatever. Being a top draw in two different companies is pretty wild. Thanks, guys.”
At the time, Tony Khan said that airing the footage was all part of an effort to give a great show for the fans. Many found the claim dubious, believing that Khan’s real motivation was payback after Punk’s comments on AEW during the MMA Hour, in which he claimed Khan was not a “real boss.” The kayfabe reason behind the footage being shared was that the Young Bucks wanted to justify why they lost to FTR at All In, and shared that they’d been distracted by dealing with the backstage altercation.
The footage did prove to be a boon for AEW in terms of ratings, as the April 10, Dynamite 819,000 viewers, a 9% increase over the previous week and the highest Dynamite rating of 2024 since February. However, airing the footage could not see AEW cross the 1 million viewer threshold, leaving fans to still question whether sharing the footage had been worth it after all.
