JDfromNY recently defended CM Punk’s absence from WWE programming, arguing that the veteran has earned time away after everything he has contributed since returning to the company.
Discussing Punk’s hiatus on The 2 Count podcast with Jonathan Coachman, JDfromNY dismissed much of the speculation surrounding his status and praised his body of work over the last several years.
“The man gave you everything for the last two and a half years. That was also, by the way, coming back from a devastating injury that happened almost instantaneously when he got back to the company. He’s given you everything against Drew McIntyre. He’s given you everything against John Cena. He’s given you everything against whoever they put him in the ring against. And he wrestled Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania with it being the best match that WWE put on all year for the main roster.”
JDfromNY questioned why fans have been so quick to criticize Punk’s time away from television.
“Out of everything, coach, don’t you think CM Punk deserves a break from everything that he’s done? This is a simple hiatus. Now, I disagree that they had him go on TV and he basically exclaimed to everybody that he’s not taking a vacation. And when he’s gone for two months, we have every right to question why the biggest star in the company is taking two months off of television. But he deserves a vacation.”
He also pushed back on rumors suggesting Punk could eventually return to AEW.
“The rumor of him going back to AEW because he’s disgruntled with WWE is false. He’s never going back there and that would be a blemish on his career. That would be a 12-step program backwards for CM Punk. That’s not happening.”
Coachman agreed that Punk’s absence has been noticeable but argued that WWE benefits most when one of its biggest stars is actively appearing on television.
“He needs to get back on TV because when he’s not there for a week or two, we feel it. Now, how do you think we feel with him gone two months? The show needs that life. It needs that heart. CM Punk is one of the more legit guys that the company has. And when you remove that for two months, you see how bare the show really is.”
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