On a recent edition of his “Strictly Business” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff discussed WWE’s popularity skyrocketing following CM Punk’s return to the company at Survivor Series 2023.
Bischoff said, “[The CM Punk brand has] drawn hot in WWE. It did not draw hot in AEW. Big difference. Two different business models, two different companies, and two different approaches to the industry. The Punk that we saw in AEW was a no-win, ain’t going to happen, not going to move the needle — certainly not to the extent that everybody thought it would. And the ratings prove that. I know he sold a lot of t-shirts. That’s because there are a lot of WWE fans out there. Did not move the needle in AEW, actually did the damage in AEW because of the situation there. Because of the way the company is run and now you’re seeing an entirely different outcome, almost like two different products.”
Punk signed a multi-year contract with WWE after being fired by AEW following his backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In 2023.
