Eric Bischoff Addresses CM Punk's WWE Return

During a recent episode of the "83 Weeks" podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff opened up about CM Punk's potential future in WWE, responding to fan queries about whether the organization would trust Punk with the World Title and the role of the company's face.

Bischoff, reflecting on his experiences and observations within WWE, shared insights into the company's past attitude towards Punk. "I don't know the culture that exists today. I knew the culture that existed last time I was there. I'm gonna be very vague, but I'm doing it intentionally out of respect, so please accept that, but I was in a meeting where Punk's name came up, and all of the key decision makers in WWE at that time were in that meeting, and that name came up and the conversation lasted all of three minutes, and that was the end of that. That was the culture then. I don't know what the culture is now," Bischoff stated.

He also discussed his limited interactions with Paul Levesque (Triple H), both during their time in WCW and later in WWE. Bischoff admitted to not knowing Levesque well enough to predict his approach to handling situations like those involving CM Punk. "I never got to know Paul then. A couple of conversations with him really. Even when I worked with him when I first went to WWE as a talent, very little conversation with Paul Levesque. When I worked there in 2019 for a cup of coffee, that's where I interfaced with Paul Levesque more than I ever had in the previous 20 years, but even then I didn't really get to know him. So I don't know how Paul Levesque thinks and what his tolerance is for situations like CM Punk brings," he explained.

Regarding Punk's behavior and professional conduct, Bischoff speculated, "I suspect that, two things, one is I don't think CM Punk is going to even try to exert the kind of, I'm gonna call it bullying. He ain't throwing his weight around backstage at WWE anywhere. The company is so much bigger than him. There's no room for that there and nobody will tolerate it, and I think because of history, people will be watching very carefully how Phil Brooks as an individual handles himself professionally behind, because there's there's no question the CM Punk character is viable and is valuable. The question is, is Phil Brooks the professional that he needs to be to make it work? I suspect he probably is. I suspect that, I hope, that Phil Brooks is going, 'Wow, this is a hell of an opportunity. I can write the end of my own story. I can retire from this business on a positive note and oh, by the way, I can pocket millions of millions of dollars along the way, but I gotta be a team player.' That's what I hope and that's what I think is probably going on because he's a smart guy. He has to be a smart guy to get where he is right now. But I do think that there's probably eyes on Phil Brooks in the way he conducts himself, but I don't know where the guardrails are, but I don't think it's going to be an issue. I really don't."

Bischoff concluded with a firm stance on Punk's behavior, "I said this before he even went there when there is speculation on do you think he'll go. I said if he has the opportunity, he'd be crazy not to, but he's not gonna get away with, there is no CM Punk running amok backstage. No one's gonna get choked out. No one's gonna be in fear for their life. You're not going to have the craziness and the mishegoss going on backstage, and drama that went on in AEW, because it's an entirely different environment."

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