As popular as CM Punk is, from his first WWE run, to his short time in AEW, and now his 18 months back in WWE, itâs no secret that the beloved superstar has also had his share of backstage issues. His outspokenness has caused issues with others at times, which most infamously led to two fights during his All Elite Wrestling career, with the last resulting in his termination. Since returning to WWE, CM Punk has stayed away from any such issues, but early on, during his first WWE run, he got into a backstage argument with Tony Atlas of all people, but the bizarre encounter wasnât Punkâs fault.
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Tony Atlas Berated CM Punk At An OVW Show
CM Punk has told the story a few times about what happened between him and Tony Atlas in 2007 when Punk was the ECW Champion. Living in Louisville, Punk decided to go visit friends at an OVW show (then WWEâs developmental promotion) and even work a dark match. On The Hot Click podcast, CM Punk described what happened next, saying he went up to Tony Atlas, who was there to talk to the wrestlers about how to save their money and stay away from drugs, and introduced himself.
Tony questioned the Xâs on Punkâs wrist wraps, joking that it looked like he had two broken arms. Punk was confused, but went on with his night. However, after the show, Atlas unloaded on the talent backstage, saying
âThat last match sucked. There was a guy in it with a bad attitude. He basically just started singling me out. I had already lost my mind at this point. I stood up like legit De Niro, âAre you talking to me?â He was like, âYes, you have a bad attitude and Iâm going to put it in the report and I hope you get fired.â He said a lot of ridiculous things.â (h/t Wrestling Inc.)
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Tony Atlas Later Apologized To CM Punk
During an interview on The Hannibal TV, Tony Atlas admitted that he didnât know who CM Punk was at the time. He said he was told to straighten out Punk by someone else and confessed that Punk, who he thought was a trainee, did nothing respectful to him.
Tony Atlas later apologized to CM Punk, and Punk says theyâve made up and that itâs just a funny story now. Credit to both men for now seeing it as a silly moment that could be overcome with a simple conversation and apology.