Report: CM Punk Suggests Hangman Page Was "Shooting" On Him At AEW Double Or Nothing In Upcoming ESPN Interview

CM Punk is once again at the centre of controversy in All Elite Wrestling after it emerged the 44-year-old filmed an interview with ESPN last week that is set to air "sometime soon." Punk is believed to have spoken in a way that "would blur the lines and create buzz for upcoming shows" to the point any viewers might question if the Second City Saint is working or shooting. The interview was reportedly set up by AEW and the promotion monitored what was going on. 

Fightful Select noted in their report on the interview that The Elite were discussed and word of the interview reached talents at the June 14 taping of AEW Dynamite. Elements of the interview didn't go down well with talent based on second-hand recountings of what was discussed. Punk was also said to be very aware that his responses would be seen as polarising. 

In an update on their initial report, Fightful Select has revealed that Hangman Page "was brought up in a manner that absolutely was not confusing in a work-shoot perspective" and was clearly intentional from Punk. The two-time AEW World Champion made it abundantly clear that he does not like Hangman Page before Punk stated there were points in their Double or Nothing match that he felt Page was "shooting" on him by chopping him in the face. 

Hangman Page and CM Punk went one-on-one in the main event of Double or Nothing in May 2022, with Punk ultimately defeating Page to capture the AEW World Championship. Issues between the two men began before their pay-per-view match, however, stemming from comments Page made in a promo that Punk believed were in reference to Colt Cabana. 

Reports have noted that Punk ended up having a meeting with AEW officials after the promo and the 44-year-old was reportedly unhappy with the lack of a resolution. This led to Punk calling out Hangman for an AEW World Title match on the August 17, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite in an unplanned moment. Punk then took shots at Page during his infamous post-All Out rant, calling Page a "dumb f**k" who went into business for himself, among other comments. 

In the latest update on heat between Page and Punk from March 2023, it was noted that Page "makes an effort to remove himself from this situation and has tried to move past it."