CM Punk calls Pat McAfee a tourist in WWE, and his ‘invite can be easily rescinded’

It’s WrestleMania week and that means press tours galore, and that means quotes from the biggest stars in WWE as they gear up to tear the house down at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend. Much of the talk of the town surrounds ESPN media personality and former Indianapolis Colts Punter Pat McAfee. Of course it does. He’s done nothing but run down the entirety of WWE in an effort to put over Randy Orton defeating WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, somehow saving the industry in the process.

It’s been real dumb.

It’s also led to World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk firing back loudly and publicly, including on an appearance on “All the Smoke” with Matt Barnes:

There’s a lot in there, but the relevant quotes on McAfee:

“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. I think Pat was a wrestling fan who became famous outside the bubble and was afforded an opportunity to be invited in. Somewhere along the line he forgot that he is a tourist, and to me the invite can be easily rescinded, you know?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. If he wants to find… Cody is going to handle it. I got my hands full at WrestleMania with Roman. Poor Cody’s gotta deal with this guy.

“But, you know, when he disrespects the business and he says some things out of pocket, he’s gonna get checked, and he’s gonna get checked by me. 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 would be like me trying to tell an NBA champion how to shoot a free throw.”

I’m not sure I entirely agree with his reasoning, and tickets did move after McAfee announced the promotion for as much on SmackDown, but it’s clear he’s coming from a place of defending the business he knows and loves. You can’t fault him for that.

It’s also all one big work, so why are any of us getting up in arms?!?

Right?!?