A new report shines some light on another controversy stemming from CM Punk‘s turbulent time in AEW.
CM Punk’s contract was terminated in September 2023 after he had a backstage incident with Jack Perry at AEW All In. This came a year after his backstage altercation with The Elite. Punk also had a confrontation with Ryan Nemeth, and this situation has been brought up again due to a new complaint.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (via Fightful Select) reports that Ryan Nemeth submitted a complaint following his exit from AEW, and it was sent to multiple company executives in September. In the complaint, Nemeth details a timeline in which he highlights alleged “abuse, harassment, and threats” he experienced while he was working for AEW.
Nemeth’s complaint noted that the abuse was linked to CM Punk, but he took issue with AEW’s failure to respond to the incidents, and that he was encouraged to target Punk in a promo. The complaint cited emails, texts, and other records, and it stated that Punk had a title as “Executive/Producer/Manager” in AEW, which had not been disclosed.
Nemeth claimed that he contacted AEW Legal rep Megha Parekh in April 2023, saying that he had been targeted by Punk. Specifically, Nemeth claimed that Punk threatened him in an AEW locker room, but he was subsequently assured by others that his relationship with the company would not be impacted.
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Ryan Nemeth also stated that two months went by after the incident, and he was not booked. He claimed that Jon Moxley reached out to him and supported him. Per Nemeth, he again contacted Parekh in July to say that he was upset that AEW had not responded, and he believed that he had been silently fired. Nemeth believed that his per-appearance deal would be allowed to expire after the incident with CM Punk, as he felt that he was being punished. However, Nemeth said that Parekh told him that speaking up would not affect his job.
Nemeth was then booked in August, but when he arrived at the show, he was asked to leave, as CM Punk demanded his removal. Sapp previously reported about this incident and cited talent who said that others were being kept off the show. Nemeth claimed that he had audio recordings of some of his interactions from that day.
In the complaint, Nemeth said that he requested action to be taken in another correspondence with Parekh. Nemeth wrote that he was ordered to “verbally antagonize” Punk in a promo in front of the crowd, and he did. Nemeth claimed that he spoke to AEW legal and HR, and there was “no appropriate response” to the situation. Following CM Punk’s incident with Jack Perry, he was then asked to speak to outside counsel, and Nemeth said that he had already been speaking up about Punk’s behavior. Nemeth expressed his concern that he would be made the fall guy for Punk.
Ryan Nemeth’s AEW Exit
Sapp cites sources who said that this conversation was more meant to determine the course of action regarding CM Punk, Nemeth claimed that he was told his contract would not be allowed to expire. He later worked for AEW one more time on November 18, 2023, and CM Punk returned to WWE that week. Nemeth said that he believed that Tony Khan and AEW held him responsible for having to fire CM Punk.
Nemeth’s contract itself did not expire until March 2024, and he said that creative pitches for him went ignored. Furthermore, Nemeth wrote that AEW Legal representative Chris Peck offered a settlement interest that would roughly equal three years of his salary, pending his signing an NDA. Nemeth then claimed that he wanted to discuss the offer, but his legal counsel said that it was no longer an option.
Additionally, Nemeth claimed that Peck told him he would be “e placed in an antagonistic position to Megha if things ever escalated to arbitration.” However, Nemeth said they had a respectful relationship, and Peck threatened to sue him for submitting this timeline of events.
Given the circumstances, Nemeth said that he met with mental health professionals, and he was seeking “policy change and the financial consideration that was discussed.” Nemeth also claimed that his concerns fell on deaf ears with Peck and AEW, and he did not believe that CM Punk himself was the catalyst for the issues, as it could happen with someone else.
Sapp also writes that Nemethh spoke to Tony Khan and others in AEW, and while Khan considered his return, Nemeth did not wish to come back.
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
