CM Punk isn’t letting things cool off when it comes to Pat McAfee. If anything, he’s turning up the intensity, calling McAfee a “tourist” in the wrestling world and making it clear he’s ready to “get checked” if the situation escalates.

Speaking on the All The Smoke podcast on April 14, 2026, Punk doubled down on the comments he made during RAW, addressing McAfee’s response and explaining why he takes issue with outsiders stepping into the business without fully respecting it.

Punk began by taking a broader look at wrestling’s history of bringing in celebrities and mainstream figures for attention, suggesting that visibility does not always translate into real investment from fans.

“Wrestling, I think, has always sometimes to a fault embraced people that we believe can get eyeballs on our product. And eyeballs on our product and people actually investing and buying tickets are two wildly different things.”

From there, he zeroed in on McAfee’s role, acknowledging his success but questioning how he carries himself within the wrestling space.

“I think Pat was a wrestling fan who became famous outside the bubble and was afforded an opportunity to be invited in. And somewhere along the line, he forgot that he’s a tourist. And to me, the invite can be easily rescinded, you know. Pat’s great at what he does. Pat is not great at what we do when he disrespects the business and says some things out of pocket. He’s going to get checked and he’s going to get checked by me.”

Punk also took aim at McAfee’s recent remarks about ticket sales, arguing that without firsthand experience, those comments carry little weight.

“You can’t be running your mouth about ticket sales and all this other stuff when you’ve never sold a ticket in your life. It’d be like me trying to tell an NBA champion how to shoot a free throw that s*** ain’t going to happen.”

Even with the heated tone, Punk hinted that this may not immediately turn into something bigger, noting that his current focus lies elsewhere.

“I would prefer to not have to deal with Pat. Like I said, it’s Cody’s thing, but we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens.”

Punk also shed light on what fueled his recent “Pipe Bomb 2.0” promo, explaining it came from a deeper sense of frustration across WWE rather than just storyline buildup.

“What prompted this was an overall feeling from not just me or not just the boys, but hair and makeup, production, management, the crew. A lot of people were feeling a little bit disrespected and pissed off. So, I had a job to do in my mind. Um, I have to go out there and promote my WrestleMania match with Roman, who’s not in the building. It’s not an easy thing to do. I was out there trying to sell WrestleMania, sell some tickets, make it exciting, make it real, and also like stick up for the business.”

The reference to a “Pipe Bomb” naturally carries weight. Punk’s original 2011 promo changed the course of his career, blurring the line between fiction and reality and leading into his iconic WWE Championship clash with John Cena at Money in the Bank. Because of that history, any similar moment immediately draws comparisons, and Punk acknowledged that this latest version was rooted in real emotion as much as promotion.

He also opened up about his time away from wrestling following his WWE exit in 2014, revealing just how disconnected he became from the industry.

“I was out of sight, out of mind with it. I didn’t watch wrestling. I didn’t pay attention to wrestling. I didn’t really have an itch or anything like that. The first time I really paid attention to wrestling again was when my wife was wrestling at WrestleMania, and I wanted to watch her match. That was probably the first time I tuned back in after I left.”

That period saw Punk step away entirely before eventually returning to wrestling years later, first with AEW and then making his high-profile WWE comeback in 2023. His return has since led him to one of the biggest matches of his career.

When asked where his WrestleMania 42 showdown with Roman Reigns ranks, Punk didn’t hesitate to put it at the very top.

“I’d say it’s the biggest. And it’s not hard to say that. I think every match I’m going to have is going to be the biggest match, but this one especially, it’s WrestleMania, it’s Roman Reigns. You tune in to Monday Night Raw, you’ll be hard pressed to find me saying anything nice about him, but I think in this setting, you can’t deny who he is and what he’s done and the levels that he has helped bring this company to a huge superstar. And anytime you get two people who can arguably be called like the best of their generations colliding you’re going to see two of the best.”