Paul Heyman Took CM Punk And Ex-Champion Out For Sushi To Squash Their Real-Life Beef

Ken Anderson (fka Mr. Kennedy) wasn’t the biggest CM Punk fan because he believed Punk had wronged him during an IWA show in the early aughts, where Anderson was wrestling Austin Aries. Even though both of them spoke about the incident years later, Anderson still held a grudge.

In a recent interview with the All Axxess Podcast, Anderson reflected on his past with CM Punk. According to the former WWE star, he met the Chicago native at the North American Wrestling Federation, which was his second show and The Second City Saint’s first.

We rode together for a little bit. I didn’t like CM Punk for a while,” Anderson stated, rather matter-of-factly, before getting to the meat of the matter.

“It was a big deal to get booked at IWA [International Wrestling Association] to begin with. Punk, Ace Steel, and Dave Prazak were doing commentary. I wrestled Austin Aries in one of the opening contests, and those guys just buried us. From the time Aries came through the curtain till we both left, they buried us,” Anderson elaborated.

The former Money in the Bank winner then revealed he had no contact with CM Punk after the incident for some time, until years later when they met at an independent show.

He asked Punk whether they had some issue, but to his surprise, the Chicago native gave him the “deepest, most sincere” response, simply saying no. Punk also made a “genuine apology,” Anderson recounted. Although the two seemingly buried the hatchet, Anderson confessed that he still held a grudge.

WWE Hall Of Famer Paul Heyman Ultimately Interjected So That CM Punk And Ken Anderson Could Move On

Ken Anderson stated that he was a “Paul Heyman Guy,” and so was CM Punk.

He recalled when he was being called up to WWE’s main roster, Paul Heyman was bringing The Straight Edge Superstar from the indies. The Wiseman noticed Anderson’s disdain for Punk, and so the then-future Hall of Famer took matters into his own hands, taking both of them out for a sushi dinner to put an end to their issues.

I was like, ‘F**k [CM Punk], I hate him.’ Paul took us out for sushi one day, and we just sat and talked. We got to know a lot about each other, and we squashed everything and became good friends,” said Anderson.

You can check out his comments in the video below:

At WrestleMania 23 in 2007, the former Mr. Kennedy and CM Punk competed in the Money in the Bank match, which Anderson won. However, his injury forced WWE to go another way. Edge defeated Anderson in a singles match and, as per prior stipulation, won the briefcase. Meanwhile, The Best in the World would go on to win the next two Money in the Bank matches on The Grandest Stage of Them All consecutively.

Ken Anderson’s career ended in March 2016 following his TNA release, although he did work a few independent shows afterward. On the other hand, CM Punk left the industry in 2014. He would only return in 2021, thanks to All Elite Wrestling. Two years later, he was back in WWE. He is currently the World Heavyweight Champion on RAW.

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