A new report shines some light on CM Punk’s departure from All Elite Wrestling.
On September 2, AEW announced that former AEW World Champion CM Punk had been terminated from the company. The move came following an investigation into an incident that involved Punk and Jack Perry at AEW All In. AEW CEO Tony Khan also addressed the news on Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that it’s unclear whether a non-compete was attached to Punk’s termination. Per Sapp, Punk still has “major heat” with multiple top names in WWE. Sapp wrote that the AEW roster did not know that Punk was going to be fired as of Saturday. As noted in the announcement, an investigation looked into the aforementioned incident; Sapp wrote that a disciplinary committee headed this investigation.
The report also noted that Punk had expressed unhappiness multiple times; some of these happened publicly, like the infamous scrum after AEW All Out 2022. Others came backstage; in one example, he reportedly said “I hate this place” after his fight with Perry.
CM Punk Was Reportedly Set To Main Event AEW All Out
Sapp’s report also notes that Punk was set to headline AEW All Out on September 3; he was set to face Ricky Starks in a Strap Match. As seen on Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision, Bryan Danielson was revealed as Starks’ opponent instead.
Per Sapp, there have been talks between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery about the direction of AEW Collision moving forward. Punk had been the face of the show, and he was the “real” AEW World Champion.
Sapp also wrote that there was no word of any meaningful progress on Punk working with The Elite. Punk had said that he wanted to talk with them and find a way to work something together.
Additionally, Sapp wrote that Perry has not been fired or informed of being terminated, though is not set for All Out weekend.
More Details On CM Punk’s Termination, All In Incident
Additionally, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez reported more information on Wrestling Observer Radio. They said the investigation following All Iin included interviewing many wrestlers regarding background information and how things had changed (or not) in the last year.
Meltzer stated that Punk’s termination was due to the All In incident. However, he made it clear that there’s more to it that hasn’t come out yet. Furthermore, Meltzer noted that his previous report that Punk lunged in Khan’s direction was “far too kind,” as he had toned it down.
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
