Eric Bischoff Thinks Some Good Was Done By CM Punk-ESPN Interview

It's not often that Eric Bischoff has particularly kind things to say about AEW or CM Punk, but he changed his tune on the latest episode of "83 Weeks" — specifically, as it pertained to Punk's interview with ESPN ahead of his return on the debut of "AEW Collision" this past Saturday. One day before the interview even dropped, though, murmurs suggesting it'd be another controversy were already circulating. However, Bischoff didn't get that impression in the slightest.

"I actually think Punk handled it well, you know?" he stated. "He apologized. Or, he said that he apologized to Tony Khan. And that — Look, I think Punk would've been better served had he apologized sooner... But if he apologized to Tony, and I believe he did, I think the interview actually cleared the air."

Bischoff added that Punk revisiting his issues with Adam "Hangman" Page may have been unnecessary — and interestingly, AEW had reportedly hoped his comments about Page wouldn't be included in the actual article. However, he still believes the interview came across really well for both the promotion and Punk himself.

"The Best in the World" returned to the ring Saturday night, teaming up with FTR to defeat Samoa Joe and Bullet Club Gold's Jay White and Juice Robinson. Now going forward, it's all about what AEW can do with "Collision." For what it's worth, Bischoff is pulling for them.

"I want to be clear: I've been very critical of CM Punk. I hope this works," he added, expressing hope for a fresh start. "I hope Collision is successful... Since we don't know what Warner Discovery's view is...let's hope that it's long term, and Collision can build."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.