WWE News: Jeff Hardy Clarifies Controversial CM Punk Comments

Jeff Hardy has expressed interest in rekindling his 2009 rivalry with CM Punk, and now that Punk has returned to WWE, speculation has been sparked.

It’s also even more possible given the current WWE-TNA partnership and the Hardy Boyz’ NXT crossover, raising the possibility of a future interaction. Punk, in a recent interview with Alex McCarthy for Mail Sport, responded to Hardy stating he wanted to retire him.

“He said he wants to retire me? I’d like to be able to fly, but I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon. I think there’s got to be a lot of bridges crossed. I don’t know how many years I have left. I’m all for giving people second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth chances. There are a lot of experiences I didn’t enjoy so much, we don’t have to get into it, but I just root for people to be free of whatever demons possess them. If he’s coming back here, great, let’s see what happens.”

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In a WrestleZone interview with Bill Pritchard, Hardy clarified that his previous comments suggesting a potential match with Punk were made as a joke, dismissing the likelihood of such an encounter. He also echoed Punk’s sentiment, stating that while he’d like to “fly,” it’s simply not feasible.

“Yeah, I hear that so much still to this day, ‘In ’09, man, when CM Punk made you retire? Man, oh, my God, I cried.’ I hear that so much still to this day. So yeah, I just said that as a joke one day, and I saw that [Punk’s response]. My wife showed it to me first. I saw it through Matt, and yeah, I mean, I’d like to fly, but that’s not gonna happen.”

Punk’s pivotal 2009 rivalry with Hardy began at Extreme Rules, where Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, won at WrestleMania 25, against the newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion Hardy. This heel turn sparked a heated series of matches, including title defenses at The Bash and Night of Champions, culminating in a high-stakes TLC match at SummerSlam, where Punk regained the championship.

The rivalry concluded with a Steel Cage match on SmackDown, forcing Hardy to leave WWE per the match stipulation. This feud stands out as one of WWE’s most compelling real-life-inspired storylines, using Punk’s straight-edge persona against Hardy’s well-documented personal struggles.

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