CM Punk has once again weighed in on the state of online wrestling discourse, pushing back against the extreme criticism that often dominates fan conversations. Speaking during a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, Punk addressed how performers can be celebrated loudly in arenas yet torn apart just as loudly on the internet, using current reactions to Jey Uso as a prime example.

Punk pointed out that live crowd reactions and merchandise sales often tell a very different story than online commentary. He noted that performers who are connecting with fans in a major way can still be dismissed unfairly by critics who reduce everything to extremes.

“I’m battling with John Cena and Jey Uso over who sells more T shirts on any given night. Everybody’s going crazy for his music. They’re yeeting. They want him to run it back. This dude can go on TV for 10 minutes and just yeet.

But then you go on the internet and suddenly it’s, ‘Oh, he’s the worst wrestler alive.’ Is he? Or are you just being extremely hyperbolic? Everything nowadays is either ‘this is the best thing ever’ or ‘this is the worst thing ever.’ There’s no in between.

It turns into, ‘I don’t like this, so you have to not like it too.’ And it’s really just like like what you like. Champion that. I try to stay away from the negativity.

Jey Uso is f*cking phenomenal. He is, 100 percent. We just live these lives that are so public that everybody wants to point fingers and laugh if we slip on a banana peel or make a mistake.”

CM Punk talks about the reality of being in an arena live versus what you read on social media.#bustedopen247 pic.twitter.com/6mW9iQtQvP

, SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) January 7, 2026