CM Punk Criticizes WWE Over Jeff Hardy DUI Angle
CM Punk has shared more thoughts on WWE's new Jeff Hardy Angle.
Hardy is back on WWE television following an injury and a DUI arrest and Friday's episode of SmackDown saw the superstar get arrested on-screen after hitting Elias with his car. He would return for the show's main event, however.
Related: CM Punk Reacts To SmackDown Drink-Driving Angle
The angle is certainly a polarizing one, with some fans all for it and others indicating they felt it was too much too soon, given Jeff's real-life issues with substance abuse and his past arrests.
Punk posted a humorous tweet after seeing the SmackDown events unfold and he seemed like he was for it. "LOLOLOL AT THE COP SNIFFING THE FULL BEER BOTTLE THAT DIDNT GET SPILLED THEN SAYING “JEFF HARDY” LIKE HES CALLING BINGO NUMBERS," he wrote.
But speaking on WWE Backstage on Tuesday night, Punk shared his real feelings on the angle.
“My thing with this segment and this story is that I believe somebody’s sobriety is very fragile and very important," he said. "We discussed whether they should do this with Jeff or shouldn’t do this with Jeff. We talk about how Jeff was okay with it. Maybe, it’s his idea, he green-lit it, thumbs up.”
While he acknowledged that Hardy may have been the one to come up with the idea or was simply okay with it, Punk criticized WWE's higher-ups for putting the veteran in such a position.
“I think cleaning your life up and being sober is something to be proud of. We can champion that in different ways. I think this is the wrong way to go about it. You just don’t put him in front of that moving car.”
The rest of the Backstage panel also shared their views on the angle. Punk and Booker T agreed that such storylines never work, with the latter going on to explain why performers should never be paraded as such.
How Does Jeff Greenlight This?
No one should really be surprised by this on the WWE front. The company has shown time and time again that they're willing to push the envelope on just about anything but Jeff Hardy being on board is a bit shocking.
His brother Matt Hardy was clearly turned off by the bit on Friday and has tweeted that he's happy to be employed by AEW after watching it.
Next: Matt And Reby Hardy Respond To WWE Using Jeff’s Substance Abuse Issues On TV
Source: WWE Backstage (H/T Wrestlingnews.co)
