In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN, CM Punk a.k.a. Phil Brooks spoke about his decision to appear at Starrcast III and his talks with All Elite Wrestling.
Speaking to reporter Marc Raimondi, Punk downplayed the significance of the recent announcement to appear at the convention and take part in a Q&A show over All Out weekend in Chicago. He emphasized the minimal travel required given that the appearance is near his home and came down to being asked to appear.
When pressed about a potential deal with AEW and the natural speculation that the Starrcast appearance will dovetail an appearance at All Out, Punk stated he won’t be there.
They do videos where they talk about me. They’re constantly talking about me in the media. And again, maybe this sounds like I’m badgering them, but I’m not. It’s just something that happens. I’m a popular guy to talk about. But I’m not doing interviews talking about them. If people ask me about it, I say no, I won’t be there.
During the interview, he revealed to the outlet that an offer was made approximately one month ago through text message. He labeled it as a ‘general offer’ and added he never could have appeared at Double or Nothing in May due to his commitment with CFFC that night in California.
Punk added he is still under contract to UFC but is unaware of what will happen next. He has not fought since June 2018, where he lost by decision to Mike Jackson in his second professional fight.
On the never-ending wrestling questions and public urging to join AEW, he laid out his mindset and acknowledging he is not the same person he was from his days as an active professional wrestler:
I’m not that dude that sat down on a stage in Vegas eight years ago. I’m not the dude that left WWE. I’m not that guy. That was five-years-ago Phil. I’m a different dude now. People still have that connotation, like, “Oh, he hates WWE.” And it’s just like, no, I’ve let all that go, and I’ve let all that go so long ago. But there are people that hold on to that. They still think or want me to be who I was. I’m not who I was yesterday. This is my journey, this is my odyssey.
