I’m Oli Davis, this is the WrestleTalk News, where:
CM Punk fired by AEW… confirmed.
Just six days after the reported backstage altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry
at August 27th’s All In Wembley Stadium show, AEW has confirmed in an official statement
that CM Punk has been released from the promotion.
“All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has terminated the wrestler and employment agreements between
Phillip Brooks (CM Punk) and AEW with cause, effective immediately.
The termination was confirmed today by Tony Khan, CEO, General Manager, and Head of Creative
of AEW.
The termination follows a weeklong internal investigation of an incident occurring back
stage at AEW - All In London on Sunday, August 27.
Following the investigation, the AEW Discipline Committee met and later convened with outside
legal counsel before making a unanimous recommendation to Khan that CM Punk be terminated with cause.
Khan offered the following statement: “Phil played an important role within AEW
and I thank him for his contributions.
The termination of his AEW contracts with cause was ultimately my decision, and mine
alone.
Of course, I wish I did not have to share this news, which may come as a disappointment
to many of our fans.
Nevertheless, I am making the decision in the best interests of the many amazing people
who make AEW possible every week - our talent, staff, venue operators, and others whose efforts
are unsung but essential to bringing our great shows on television and at arena and stadiums
throughout the world.”
Fightful and Wrestling Observer have explained the ‘wrestler and employment agreements’
wording in the statement - reporting Punk was signed to both a performers contract and
an employees contract.
Wrestling Observer add that because the firing is ‘for cause’, meaning his contract wasn’t
bought out, this has likely cost Punk “many millions of dollars” with multiple years
left on his deal.
The statement was posted shortly before that night’s episode of Collision, and 24 hours
before AEW’s second pay-per-view in one week, All Out - both events taking place in
Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
Which explains why AEW President Tony Khan was booed so heavily when he addressed the
crowd before Collision began.
Wrestling Observer Radio has also reported there was a talent meeting held backstage
before Collision to inform them of the news.
Khan publicly expanded further on the released statement in a video package that opened the
Collision broadcast.
Toady I had to make one of the toughest decisions of my professional career.
Today I terminated Phil Brooks, CM Punk, for cause…
This stems from a backstage incident at AEW All In last Sunday.
This incident was regrettable, and it endangered people backstage.
That includes the production staff, the people who help put this show on every week, innocent
people who had nothing to do with it.
I've been going to wrestling shows for over 30 years.
I've been producing them on this network for nearly four years.
Never in all that time have I ever felt, until last Sunday, that my security, my safety,
my life was in danger at a wrestling show.
I don't think anybody should feel that way at work.
I don't think the people I work with should feel that way and I had to make a very difficult
choice today."
This seemingly corroborates the Wrestling Observer’s ‘neutral source’ report,
that alleges Punk “lunged” at Khan following the Perry confrontation.
Dave Meltzer has since added his description was actually “toning it down… it was more
than lunging” and he regrets being “far too kind to [Punk]” in his coverage.
Meltzer tweeted: “The non-wrestler eye witness report in the current issue of the Observer
is probably the best description as to the what and the why.”
Which claims that Punk approached Perry backstage to go “nose-to-nose with him aggressively”.
Perry said his on-air real glass comment was just to get heel heat, to which Punk reacted
to by shoving, punching and choking him - all in front of Tony Khan.
Once things were broken up, Punk allegedly “lunged” [QUOTE] at Khan, saying he’s
quitting the company.
Samoa Joe calmed the situation for his and Punk’s opening match to go ahead.
The All In incident is notably different from last year’s All Out one.
The alleged Punk and Elite locker room altercation happened behind closed doors, where there
were limited eyewitnesses for ‘who started it’, and no camera footage because it’s
a private dressing room.
The Gorilla position in Wembley Stadium, however, where the most recent incident occurred, was
in a place “where there’s always cameras running”, with far more witnesses - wrestlers
and non-wrestlers alike.
Meltzer has added that the investigation didn’t just take the All In altercation into account,
but also interviewed personnel regarding the last year of Punk’s conduct in the company
- as this is far from the only backstage controversy.
As those reportedly include, but not limited to, in reverse chronological order Survival
Series style: -Punk already arguing with Perry backstage
about using real glass.
-Top AEW talent like Hangman Page and Christopher Daniels not being allowed on Collision.
-Punk having a backstage argument with Ryan Nemeth.
-Punk cutting an unscripted promo on Hangman Page, which, the other way round, is what
started all this last May.
-Punk potentially pulling out of Collision because his close friend Ace Steel wasn’t
allowed to be there in person, due to his involvement in the previous September’s
backstage fight.
Unless there’s clear video footage evidence, there’s usually two sides to every story.
For Punk’s defence, Haus of Wrestling has reported in the wake of his firing that a
‘sit down’ reconciliation meeting between Punk and The Elite was planned for the week
of All In, but it was “called off at the last minute by The Elite’s camp.”
The meeting was reportedly supposed to have Tony Khan present, and was meant to “bury
the hatchet between both sides”.
The “cancellation of it appears to have added to Punk’s overall frustrations with
the situation heading into the event.”
Haus of Wrestling is the website of Nick Hausman, the wrestling reporter Punk actually targeted
at the All In press conference last year for being friends with Colt Cabana, after which
he launched into his shoot promo.
Bryan Alvarez has subsequently denied Hausman’s report, writing “there was no meeting booked.
The Elite was approached about it and shot it down.”
There is currently no update on Jack Perry or Ace Steel’s positions in AEW.
In terms of the rest of the roster, PWInsider is reporting the reaction to Punk’s termination
“depends on the person.
Some are really down on it.
Others, as you can imagine, feel it was the right move and are happy about it.
There are some who have relayed they are just happy Tony Khan made a decision and that they
hope to just move forward and have the focus be on AEW and the shows themselves.”
Potentially standing in the way of the ‘just move forward’ camp, however, are all of
CM Punk’s friends.
Cash Wheeler held up Punk’s X sign while accompanying Dax Harwood down to the ring
on Collision.
And Rush, who Punk had described as one of his Colliders, has tweeted a bunch of photos
of him beating up Jungle Boy in a match from earlier this year.
Others, however, are more happy.
The Young Bucks, for instance, made their first appearance ever on Collision in the
main event to help FTR.
Matt and Nick Jackson were said to do a literal victory lap around the ring after the show
went off air, getting heat from the Chicago crowd.
And KENTA, the inventor of Punk’s finishing move, has tweeted:
“WELCOME BACK MY GO 2 SLEEP” KENTA has maintained in interviews he doesn’t
like Punk, but that could just be him building a match.
With Punk no longer de facto running Collision, Andrew Zarian has tweeted Warner Bros Discovery
have been told the soft-to-medium well done brand split with Dynamite will be ending/
Which is for the best, as the rate wrestlers were going on the banned list, it’d eventually
just be Punk, FTR and Brody King.
WWE’s Grayson Waller has also made a potential reference to Punk’s firing, tweeting after
being attacked by Jey Uso on Payback: “Jey Uso attacking me unprovoked on my own
show - fire this man!”
using a can of Punk’s favourite drink Pepsi to soothe his jaw.
Which means as one door closes, another door opens.
Hit the drum roll…
[DRUM ROLL SOUND EFFECT] … CM Punk to WWE confirmed!
Meltzer is reporting that because Punk was fired, unless a waiting period was in the
way the termination papers were signed, “he can go to WWE.”
The question now becomes: do WWE want him?
Meltzer adds that Punk actually tried to return to WWE twice over the last five years - firstly
when SmackDown debuted on Fox in 2019.
Fox pressured WWE to sign him, to which Vince McMahon reportedly said “we’ll sign anyone
but him.”
Then again only 10 months ago, following the All Out brawl.
Meltzer claims Punk thought he could get out of his AEW contract with a buyout, but WWE
“made the decision not to use him.”
Fightful Select is reporting Punk’s firing was “heavily discussed” backstage in WWE
at their Payback pay-per-view that was about to start as news broke.
But Punk still has heat with several high-level individuals in WWE.
Seth Rollins called Punk a “cancer” in what appeared to be a shoot interview last
year, saying he’s always known Punk was a “jerk” . And Triple H, who currently
runs the place, has had a long, tumultuous relationship with Punk.
CM Punk Royal Rumble no.
30 entrant confirmed.
As many of you know, CM Punk is my favourite wrestler.
His wrestling return with AEW in that 2021 Summer of Punk, after the pandemic, is one
of my most treasured memories.
His brief but intense feud with Eddie Kingston was incredible.
And his two matches with MJF make up my favourite wrestling storyline ever.
I’m absolutely devastated we’ll likely never see its conclusion.
I’m a Punk fan.
I’m a Weezer fan, even though they haven’t released a good album for 20 years.
Both were there for me at points in my life when I needed that pop culture escapism, and
they filled a hole within me.
I’ll cherish that.
But Punk has had an increasingly destructive presence in AEW for a year now.
It’s hard to enjoy the kayfabe excellence when there’s so much drama behind-the-scenes.
It’s a relationship that stopped benefitting either party a long time ago.
I hope now they, and we, can move on from a pretty crappy year.