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CM Punk is aware of what skilled wrestling followers need to see, and he doesn’t suppose AEW President Tony Khan is delivering.
This previous November, Punk made a surprising return to WWE on the conclusion of the sports-entertainment big’s “Survivor Sequence: WarGames” occasion in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. His look was lower than a 12 months after an unpleasant departure from AEW, which got here amid studies of a number of backstage altercations between Punk, a number of skilled wrestlers, and Khan himself. Nonetheless, it got here as a shock given he had beforehand parted methods with WWE beneath chaotic circumstances in 2013.
One backstage AEW incident that made headlines concerned Punk and wrestler Jack Perry reportedly coming to blows backstage on the “All In” occasion at Wembley Stadium in London in August 2023. On The MMA Hour, Punk gave his account of confronting Perry a few proposed stunt on a present previous to the occasion, and he stated the scenario was dealt with poorly by Khan and firm.
“I walked as much as Jack, and he was sitting in a automobile,” Punk stated. “What he wished to do — this was a rental automobile — was smash the window of the rental automobile with a pipe, and I used to be identical to, ‘It’s a rental automobile.’ I very politely — as a result of I like Jack — I used to be identical to, [several people told you no], and now I’ve to inform you no. And apparently, you’ve stubborn all of them out, so I’m telling you no. We don’t do this right here. If you wish to do that, you go to [AEW Dynamite on] Wednesday and do it. He had no downside. He stated, ‘OK. I simply thought it was a very cool concept.’ I stated, ‘It is likely to be, however this can be a rental automobile.’ The boys smash it for the boys. You’re going to smash the window of a rental automobile, and also you’re going to return it with no f****** window, and now Nationwide, Funds, Hertz, no matter, goes to be like, ‘Don’t lease automobiles to professional wrestlers anymore.’ It is a factor that’s occurred.”
“I get it, I was that child that was younger and I need to do that. However there’s a protected method to do it,” Punk continued. “I politely defined that to him. I didn’t elevate my voice, I didn’t cuss at him. I very a lot simply stated, ‘We don’t do this right here. That is [AEW Collision on] Saturday. It’s a unique present. You need to do stuff like this, do it on Wednesday.’ That was it. I didn’t suppose there was going to be an issue. He clearly took one thing very business-minded very personally, and that’s fantastic, as a result of I’ve completed that earlier than too. Nevertheless it’s very a lot who he’s pals with, and s*** by no means received squashed, no one’s in cost, and it became what it became.”
The incident boiled over when Perry later appeared to reference the backstage encounter throughout a televised promo, which drew the ire of Punk. He requested Khan to talk to Perry, however he claims nothing was completed, and so Punk needed to take issues into his personal palms.
In keeping with studies, Punk two weeks later tried to choke Perry throughout a backstage incident on the London “All In” occasion. Accounts differ on who was the instigator of the battle. Regardless, it resulted in Punk having phrases with each Khan and Perry.
“I stroll as much as him and I’m identical to, ‘Jack, why do you insist on doing this dumb web s*** on TV?’” Punk stated. “He’s identical to, ‘If you happen to’ve received an issue about it, do one thing about it.’ I’m like, ‘Come, on man. I’d f****** kill you, what are we doing?’ After which, it’s like Chael [Sonnen] says, generally I simply can’t allow you to get shut.
“I assumed I used to be doing the accountable factor. I didn’t punch anyone. I simply choked any individual somewhat bit. Samoa Joe was there, he advised me to cease. Then I stop. I turned to Tony and I stated, ‘This place is a f****** joke. You’re a clown. I stop.’”
Punk went on to have a match with Samoa Joe that very same evening, his final with the promotion. Quickly after, AEW introduced Punk had been fired, with Khan later saying on-air that the Punk-Perry struggle “endangered folks backstage” and he felt “my safety, my security, my life, was at risk.”
It wasn’t the primary time Punk was concerned in behind-the-scenes drama at AEW. In September 2022, a livid Punk, then the AEW World Champion, spoke to the media following that 12 months’s “All Out” occasion, and he addressed a number of grievances along with his friends. together with accusing wrestler Adam “Hangman” Web page of taking liberties with a scripted section the 2 had been concerned in. Afterward, it was reported that Punk was involved in a wild physical altercation with Page’s close friends, AEW founders and wrestlers Matt and Nick Jackson (a.ok.a. The Younger Bucks), over Punk’s feedback. Punk was punished with a suspension and was absent from AEW programming for 9 months.
So far as Punk is worried, it was the dispute with Web page that sparked the brawl and laid the groundwork for his exit from the promotion.
“[Page] proceeds to go on reside TV and never say any of the s*** that we talked about [in planning],” Punk stated of the section the place Web page allegedly went off-script. “I can’t hear him as a result of the group’s so loud, and I actually have to concentrate to what he’s saying as a result of my responses matter. I can’t simply say what I had deliberate, as a result of it’s not going to match what he’s saying to me. And he’s saying some s***, I don’t even know what he’s speaking about. I’m like, why would you do that? Why would you smash [this]? TV may be very costly. Each minute of TV is a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} between manufacturing and all that stuff. And also you’re simply s****** on me and also you’re s****** on the enterprise, why would you do that?”
“I went to Tony and the lawyer, and I stated, ‘You have to repair that. As a result of if I do, you’re not going to love the way in which I repair it,’” Punk continued. “And I assumed I used to be being skilled by not simply murdering [Page] on tv. I do know some persons are going to be upset about that. ‘Oh, he’s speaking about this man once more.’ However with me, respect is the default. I respect everyone till you do one thing that makes me lose my respect for you. I’ve by no means completed something to any of these guys. In the event that they’re basing their perspective towards me primarily based on some bulls*** their buddy advised them, I can’t show you how to. However I’ve received loads of pals who don’t like sure folks, and I hold relationships enterprise. Every little thing went off the rails from there. It’s a disgrace.”
Punk later stated he nonetheless has pals in AEW and he genuinely needs the perfect for the performers and the corporate. However he stated he and Khan differ philosophically in relation to what’s finest for enterprise. Since 2019, AEW has persistently garnered rave evaluations for its match high quality, range of wrestling types, and long-term storytelling, although current years have seen rankings for its three tv packages stagnate, and reside present tickets have been gradual to maneuver exterior of the promotion’s main occasions.
Personally, Punk doesn’t want to have any beef with Khan. Simply don’t anticipate them to reunite anytime quickly.
“I don’t just like the drama, however the reality is the reality,” Punk stated. “He’s not a boss. He’s a pleasant man. I believe in the end that could be a detriment to the corporate, however it’s not my firm. I’m an outsider. I assumed I used to be introduced in to promote merchandise and tickets and draw numbers for pay-per-views and stuff, and I clearly did that. However that’s not what the place is about and a few folks didn’t like that.”
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