Dave Youell
02-26-2004, 07:49 AM
FROM PWINSIDER.COM
CM PUNK AND TEDDY HART INVOLVED IN PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION IN NASHVILLE
by Mike Johnson @ 4:40:00 PM on 2/25/2004
There was a fight this afternoon between Teddy Hart and CM Punk in Nashville, TN.
According to sources who witnessed the incident, Hart and Punk got into a confrontation at a café the boys can eat for free at near the Fairgrounds where TNA tapes their weekly PPVs. Punk was leaving the restaurant as Hart and his entourage were coming in.
When the two ran into each other, Hart asked Punk if he had a problem with him and to step outside if he did. Punk didn't back down and obliged. Once they got outside, Punk slapped Hart across the face. A short fight took place, which was finally broken up by Sabu, among others. Hart later claimed he was trying to shake Punk's hand which Punk then responded wasn't the case and that he was standing right there if Hart still wanted to do something. I was told at that point Sabu got in the middle of the situation and told everyone to stop, which they did out of respect for his status as a veteran.
According to one person who saw them later on in the locker room, Hart ended up with a fat lip and a bruise on his face, while Punk scraped up his elbow and was bruised "on his forehead." TNA management spoke to everyone involved and basically warned them that it was not to happen again or people would lose their jobs.
Hart and Punk have legitimate heat stemming back to 11/1 at the Ring of Honor event in Elizabeth, New Jersey where Hart was excommunicated from the ROH locker room for post-match antics that put the boys at risk and disrespected them. When Hart, who Hart has been trying to portray himself as a Brian Pillman-esque character in the wake of the initial ROH incident, later blamed some of the issues on several ROH wrestlers including AJ Styles, Punk, and Steve Corino, the normally private Punk spoke out.
Punk went on a brutal tirade on his website's 11/12/03 Live Journal entry. Punk took Hart to task for his actions and comments, as well as Hart's claim that he was doing moonsaults after the ROH match in memory of his late Uncle Owen Hart. Hart responded in another radio appearance by claiming Punk was a drug user, which as you can imagine from Punk's straightedge beliefs, was a tremendous insult and did nothing but heighten the heat between the two. Today marked the first time Punk and Hart had crossed paths since the ROH incident and subsequent exchanges.
There is already an exaggerated version of the story making the rounds that Teddy Hart tried to shake CM Punk's hand in the locker room of the Fairgrounds only to be slapped in the face by Punk, which led to a fight between the two. According to several I have spoken to, that is absolutely factually incorrect.
As irony would have it, Ring of Honor announced last week that Hart would be making his return to the promotion at their 3/13 event in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Punk is also booked on that show.
CM PUNK AND TEDDY HART INVOLVED IN PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION IN NASHVILLE
by Mike Johnson @ 4:40:00 PM on 2/25/2004
There was a fight this afternoon between Teddy Hart and CM Punk in Nashville, TN.
According to sources who witnessed the incident, Hart and Punk got into a confrontation at a café the boys can eat for free at near the Fairgrounds where TNA tapes their weekly PPVs. Punk was leaving the restaurant as Hart and his entourage were coming in.
When the two ran into each other, Hart asked Punk if he had a problem with him and to step outside if he did. Punk didn't back down and obliged. Once they got outside, Punk slapped Hart across the face. A short fight took place, which was finally broken up by Sabu, among others. Hart later claimed he was trying to shake Punk's hand which Punk then responded wasn't the case and that he was standing right there if Hart still wanted to do something. I was told at that point Sabu got in the middle of the situation and told everyone to stop, which they did out of respect for his status as a veteran.
According to one person who saw them later on in the locker room, Hart ended up with a fat lip and a bruise on his face, while Punk scraped up his elbow and was bruised "on his forehead." TNA management spoke to everyone involved and basically warned them that it was not to happen again or people would lose their jobs.
Hart and Punk have legitimate heat stemming back to 11/1 at the Ring of Honor event in Elizabeth, New Jersey where Hart was excommunicated from the ROH locker room for post-match antics that put the boys at risk and disrespected them. When Hart, who Hart has been trying to portray himself as a Brian Pillman-esque character in the wake of the initial ROH incident, later blamed some of the issues on several ROH wrestlers including AJ Styles, Punk, and Steve Corino, the normally private Punk spoke out.
Punk went on a brutal tirade on his website's 11/12/03 Live Journal entry. Punk took Hart to task for his actions and comments, as well as Hart's claim that he was doing moonsaults after the ROH match in memory of his late Uncle Owen Hart. Hart responded in another radio appearance by claiming Punk was a drug user, which as you can imagine from Punk's straightedge beliefs, was a tremendous insult and did nothing but heighten the heat between the two. Today marked the first time Punk and Hart had crossed paths since the ROH incident and subsequent exchanges.
There is already an exaggerated version of the story making the rounds that Teddy Hart tried to shake CM Punk's hand in the locker room of the Fairgrounds only to be slapped in the face by Punk, which led to a fight between the two. According to several I have spoken to, that is absolutely factually incorrect.
As irony would have it, Ring of Honor announced last week that Hart would be making his return to the promotion at their 3/13 event in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Punk is also booked on that show.