FOX Unhappy With WWE Over CM Punk’s AEW Debut

They probably should be. WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world and has been for a very long time now. At the same time though, there are still some people that they have to answer to. One of the most powerful groups that they have to answer to is the television networks that broadcasts WWE programming. It seems that one of them is not exactly thrilled.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, FOX was unhappy over WWE not attempting to make a deal with CM Punk before he signed with AEW and debuted last week. As a result, WWE rushed Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar back to the active roster, with both returning at Summerslam. Punk has worked for FOX before, as his deal to appear on WWE Backstage was made through FOX rather than WWE. Punk famously walked out on WWE in 2014, with his AEW debut being his first in-ring wrestling appearance in seven and a half years. This comes just after NBC Universal and USA have reportedly been unhappy with WWE as well.

They might have something here. Check out some of Punk’s more famous appearances:

CM Punk makes his surprise debut on WWE Backstage | WWE BACKSTAGE | WWE ON FOX

CM Punk Speaks for the First Time Ever in AEW | AEW Rampage: The First Dance, 8/20/21

Raw: CM Punk makes his shocking return to WWE

Opinion: I get the idea of FOX being annoyed at losing such a big star, but there is a simple problem here: Punk did not want to be back in WWE and money wasn’t going to change that. The offer would have been nothing more than a token attempt to get Punk to come and there was nothing that WWE could have realistically done. I get why FOX is upset, but it isn’t like WWE had many options here.

What did you think of Punk’s AEW debut? Are Lesnar and Lynch worth more? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 60,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 6,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books.

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