WWE legend Al Snow believes security personnel, not CM Punk, should shoulder the blame for the MGM Grand incident that occurred during WrestleMania 42 weekend.
The veteran wrestler addressed the viral confrontation where Punk knocked a fan’s phone down as the individual filmed Bayley hugging AJ Lee near the hotel elevators.
Speaking on The Russo Brand, Snow made it clear the situation should have been prevented before it escalated. He placed responsibility squarely on the security team tasked with protecting talent.
Security Failed to Prevent the Confrontation
Snow explained that security’s job is to stop incidents before they happen, not react after the fact. He criticized the team for allowing the fan to get that close to Punk and his wife in the first place.
“The incident should never even occur. That’s on the security,” Snow said. “They’re there for a reason. They’re not there to just stand idly by. They should be accompanying the talent to and from and in and out of the building just to prevent such things from occurring.”
He continued by highlighting that prevention is the core responsibility of any security detail.
“Security company’s supposed to be there to prevent that situation from occurring in the first place and they were obviously not doing what they needed to do in that moment.”
Punk Shouldn’t Have Been Put in That Position
While acknowledging that Punk’s reaction could be debated, Snow argued the former World Heavyweight champion never should have been forced into that situation. He defended Punk’s response given the circumstances.
“You can sit there and put the heat on either party, but the real heat, I think, goes on the security company,” Snow stated. “Well, you know, Punk shouldn’t have behaved in that manner — well, he shouldn’t have been put in that position to behave in that manner.”
Snow also criticized the fan’s behavior, describing it as aggressive and disrespectful.
“The fans shouldn’t have been that aggressive and they were being very obnoxious and disrespectful, clearly didn’t follow etiquette or protocol or was respectful in any way of personal time.”
AJ Lee’s Involvement Changed the Dynamic
Jeff Lane, speaking alongside Snow, pointed out that the personal element made the situation different. Because AJ Lee, Punk’s wife, was involved in the moment being filmed, the reaction shouldn’t be viewed without that context.
“Especially when she asked you to go away and you don’t go away,” Lane said. “So you got a man up in your wife’s face like that. I don’t fault him for reacting that way emotionally in that situation.”
Despite defending Punk in several ways, Snow acknowledged the situation wasn’t completely black and white.
“Nobody was 100% right. Nobody was 100% wrong on either side of the fence, but security should have been there to keep it from even occurring in the first place. Just shouldn’t have happened.”