Without ever setting foot in a ring together, CM Punk vs The Young Bucks has become one of the most heated feuds in AEW history.
The two sides have never shared a ring together, yet the AEW fans fall in one of two camps – they need to see the match, or they’ve had enough of this rivalry.
Tension has been rising in AEW since All Out 2022, when a backstage fight ended the friendship between CM Punk and The Young Bucks – maybe for good.
Would you like to see CM Punk vs The Young Bucks? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section at the end of this article.
CM Punk and The Young Bucks Were Friends In AEW
When CM Punk first joined AEW, there was little to suggest a rift between himself and The Young Bucks.
According to reports, the returning star was well liked backstage. He was said to have been friends with the Young Bucks, with the pair texting him when AEW started to try and coax Punk out of retirement.
Punk even claimed on multiple occasions that he’d love to wrestle against the Young Bucks. It seemed before his multiple injuries that the plan was to put CM Punk and FTR against The Elite, in a match that could sell out any arena.
Sadly, their relationship soon soured due to a rift with Adam Page and one disastrous press conference.
One Press Conference Changed Everything
When he returned from his injury in August to battle Jon Moxley, CM Punk first called out Adam Page to fight him inside the ring.
This was also unscripted, and there was never any intention of having Hangman come out to the ring. This was purely a power move by the Best in the World (a “receipt” of sorts) for the shot that Page took at him earlier in the year.
This increased tensions between CM Punk and The Elite, which included the Young Bucks. While his relationship with the Bucks had been fine before, it was soon turning sour.
CM Punk beat Jon Moxley at All Out 2022, regaining his AEW Championship and showing the world that he was back.
However, he suffered an injury during the match which was said to keep him out for 8 months, but that would not be the big talking point from the event.
In the post show press scrum, CM Punk was joined on stage by Tony Khan and began to field questions from journalists. However, he largely ignored them, instead going on an expletive laden rant and tearing down a number of wrestlers, including Colt Cabana, Adam Page and The Young Bucks.
While he did not reference the Young Bucks by name, CM Punk mentioned “EVP’s” (referring to Young Bucks and Kenny Omega), accusing them of leaking details to dirt sheets to turn fans against CM Punk.
“If you’re an EVP, you don’t try to middle your top babyface, trying to get your niche audience that’s on the internet to hate him for some made-up bulls*** rumor,” Punk said. “Really p***** me off, stepping on your own d*** trying to make money, sell tickets and fill arenas and these stupid guys think they are in Reseda [reference to PWG].”
This press conference was one of the most controversial moment in AEW history. It shocked the world, and led to the backstage fight between CM Punk and The Young Bucks (as well as two others).
A Backstage Fight Ended The Relationship Between CM Punk & The Young Bucks
After the press conference caused a huge stir in the world of wrestling, CM Punk retired to his private locker room with his friend Ace Steel, his dog Larry and Steel’s wife. The injury suffered during the match with Moxley was clearly affecting his mood and he did not want to be bothered.
However, the three EVP’s of AEW has to get the situation straightened out. They had been accused of leaking things to the press to make Punk look bad and their integrity had been questioned.
So, to quell the situation and get to the bottom of his gripes, the three of them grabbed AEW’ legal advisor and confronted the then-AEW Champion.
The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and AEW Head of Legal Megha Parekh went to CM Punk’s locker room after the press conference, in order to discuss his comments pertaining to the “EVP’s”.
There were various versions claiming the Bucks kicked the door down, which didn’t happen. CM Punk fired a punch Matt Jackson while Ace Steel hit Nick Jackson with a steel chair and bit Kenny Omega on the arm.
During the fight, CM Punk’s dog Larry seemed to get distressed by it’s owners actions and would have been in danger.
However, Kenny Omega was said to have picked up the dog to get it out of danger, with Punk seemingly not caring about the safety of his pet. It was said it was here where Steel bit Omega. According to some sources, Punk came accross as a “complete psycho”.
There were lawyers involved almost immediately from all sides, but as of right now, there has been no legal action and The Elite decided not to press charges. AEW did a thorough investigation and appear to have sided with The Elite on the matter.
CM Punk was eventually brought back into the fold, returning to AEW on the debut episode of AEW Collision.
He made his return to the company on June 17th 2023, although The Young Bucks did not appear alongside CM Punk on TV.
In fact, the Elite have been kept separate from CM Punk since his return.
CM Punk vs The Young Bucks
As of the time of writing, there has been no report of a reconciliation between CM Punk and The Young Bucks.
Punk is alleged to have apologized to Kenny Omega immediately following the fight at All Out 2022.
It is rumored that Omega accepted this, and would be happy to work with Punk in the future. However, the same cannot be said about the Young Bucks, if the dirt sheets are to be believed.
While there were rumors that FTR and CM Punk vs The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega (or Adam Page) could be the big match for All In at Wembley Stadium, there is little evidence to suggest that any bridges have been mended between the two parties.
He did reference the Young Bucks in his first promo back on AEW Collision. Speaking from the heart, he called himself “One Bill Phil”, before complaining about some “Counterfeit Bucks” in AEW – a clear shot at the former AEW Tag Team Champions.
You can read the full transcript of CM Punk’s AEW Collision promo below.
Would you like to see CM Punk vs The Young Bucks? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below