AEW, the growing threat to WWE’s supremacy in the English-speaking pro wrestling world, has descended into chaos after a real-life backstage fight between a group of the promotion’s biggest stars.
At the centre of it all is former WWE champion and current AEW (All Elite Wrestling) world champion CM Punk – though he may not be the ‘current’ champion for long.
AEW was created three years ago by independent stalwarts The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and now-back-at-WWE star Cody Rhodes, and funded by billionaire Tony Khan, attempting to create a true competitor for the McMahon family’s company.
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They’ve begun to do that, with critically successful TV shows and pay per views, a higher standard of wrestling and strong ratings which have ensured they earn enough money to run long-term – and a looming new TV deal should ensure their profitability.
But helping their growth was a 2021 signing spree of some of wrestling’s biggest names, with Bryan Danielson (formerly Daniel Bryan) and CM Punk joining Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose) at the top of the card.
Punk, in particular, proved a massive drawcard, selling out the Chicago Bulls’ home of the United Center essentially on the rumour he would return to wrestling seven years after quitting WWE.
Punk’s passion made him an incredible performer but, at times, tough to work with. His exit from WWE, sparked by physical and mental health issues, saw him fall out with his long-time friendship with fellow wrestler Colt Cabana. That was after the pair were sued for defamation for comments made on Cabana’s podcast about ex-WWE doctor Chris Ammen; after winning that case, they sued each other over legal fees.
That made things more complicated when Punk was signed in 2021 – after Cabana had already been wrestling for AEW for over a year.
AEW boss Tony Khan had to make it clear that an apparent demotion for Cabana – he had not appeared on TV in his previous role since Punk’s re-emergence, and looks set to be part of the now-AEW-owned version of Ring of Honor – had nothing to do with Punk.
Yet rumours still circulated that Punk had either told Khan he wanted Cabana gone, or at least that it was hinted at – which Punk took serious exception to.
Following Monday morning (AEST)’s All Out pay per view, Punk was the first speaker at the post-show press conference. Sitting alongside Khan, without even being prompted, he launched into a stunning spray of Scott Colton (Cabana’s real name).
“I haven’t had anything to do with Scott Colton for almost a decade. Probably wanted nothing to do with him even longer than that,” Punk said.
“It’s f–king unfortunate that I have to come up here and speak on this when I’m on my time and this is a f–king business. Why I’m a grown-ass adult man and I decide not to be friends with somebody is nobody else’s f–king business. But my friends, if I fall backwards, will catch me. Scott Colton, I felt, never would have.
“My problem was I wanted to bring a guy with me to the top that did not want to see me at the top, OK? You can call it jealousy, you can call it envy, whatever the f–k it is. My relationship with Scott Colton ended long before I paid all of his bills. I have every receipt. I have every invoice. I have every email. I have (an) email where he says ‘I agree to go our separate ways, I will get my own lawyer and you do not have to pay anymore.’
“That’s an email that I have and the only reason the public did not see is because when I finally had to countersue him, through discovery we discovered he shared a bank account with his mother. That’s a fact. As soon as we discovered that fact and we subpoenaed old Marsha, he sent the email ‘oh, can we please drop all this?’ Now, it’s 2022. I haven’t been friends with this guy since at least 2014, late-2013.”
Punk then declared his frustration with executive vice-presidents the Young Bucks, Nick and Matt Jackson, and Kenny Omega – seemingly suggesting they had leaked the story that Punk had spoken out against Cabana.
“The fact that I have to sit up here because we have irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs and couldn’t f–king manage a Target and they spread lies and bulls–t and put into the media that I got somebody fired when I have f–k all to do with him, want nothing to do with him, do not care where he works, where he doesn’t work, where he eats, where he sleeps… the fact that I have to get up and do this in 2022 is f–king embarrassing,” Punk said.
Punk was also angered when then-world champion ‘Hangman’ Adam Page made an apparent reference to Punk’s past during an on-screen promo building up their title match.
Months later, after winning the title from Page and recovering from a serious foot injury, Punk came to the ring for a promo and went against script by calling out Page, saying it was “coward s–t” when he didn’t come out. (Page, of course, didn’t come out because it wasn’t part of the planned TV show.)
“What did I ever do in this world to deserve an empty-headed f–king dumbf–k like ‘Hangman’ Adam Page to go out on national television and f–king go into business for himself? For what? What did I ever do? … Didn’t do a goddamn thing,” Punk said in the press conference.
“I’m trying to run a f–king business. And when somebody who hasn’t done a damn thing in this business jeopardizes the first million dollar house that this company has ever drawn off of my back and goes on national television and does that, it’s a disgrace to this industry, it’s a disgrace to this company.”
The press conference continued after Punk’s remarkable comments, but at one point a security guard could be seen sprinting away towards a commotion.
That commotion, as reported by multiple leading wrestling news outlets, was a real-life fight between Punk, his long-time friend and trainer Ace Steel, the Young Bucks and Omega.
While there are multiple narratives around exactly how things went down, no-one is disputing that Punk punched Matt Jackson, that Steel threw a chair that hit Nick Jackson, and that Steel bit Omega and pulled his hair.
It has become clear this is not a storyline and in fact real – in wrestling parlance, it’s a shoot.
None of those involved in the fight are expected to show up at Thursday (AEST)’s live broadcast of the main AEW TV show, Dynamite.
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported there have been suspensions stemming from the fight, while Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp tweeted “almost all (AEW wrestlers) I’ve spoken to believe CM Punk will have to go or make major amends to remain with the company … the heat on (anger with) Punk is unreal.”
It would be a remarkably brave decision from Tony Khan to part with Punk, who is clearly the company’s biggest ratings draw. But he won’t be parting with the Bucks and Omega, who helped inspire and create the company, and are younger than Punk.
Instead, he’ll have to try and soothe these remarkably inflamed tensions – and perhaps try and make money from them. After all wrestling’s history is full of off-screen turmoil turning into on-screen storylines.
The most famous example is the Montreal Screwjob, where WWE boss Vince McMahon conspired to force then-champion Bret Hart to lose the world title to Shawn Michaels, after years of real-life discord between the two stars.
McMahon and his supporters still claim 25 years later Hart was about to walk out on the company with the world title and join WCW, even though that was not legally possible and Hart had told McMahon he would lose to Michaels but not in Canada.
The dramatic situation, which saw Hart punch out McMahon, resulted in the WWE owner turning into the heel Mr McMahon character on TV, and then in a rivalry with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin spark arguably the hottest period in pro wrestling history.
No-one is suggesting Khan should become an on-screen character in the same way, but a match involving Punk and any mixture of the Bucks and Omega would now have incredible interest in a way it would not have before.
So while this situation appears impossible to solve right now, it could end up being the best thing for AEW long-term.