Hiya!

Let me just preface this entire post by saying I am and will always be a huge CM Punk fan. When I starting to get down on the WWE for recycling stories, out came CM Punk with the infamous “pipe bomb” promo and said what a lot of fans were thinking at the time. I was genuinely saddened when CM Punk got suspended and eventually “future endeavored” by the WWE on his wedding day. I would even say I was quite devastated when Phil Brooks, CM Punk’s real name, said he was retired from professional wrestling altogether. This devastation was subsequently erased when AEW announced they signed CM Punk and he was returning to the professional wrestling circuit.

Even after all of that demonstrating how much of a mark I am for CM Punk, I can only say, based on what I know about the situation, he’s generally is to blame for his exit from AEW. I’m not saying he’s completely at fault as to why he got fired. However, he does shoulder a lot of the accountability… in my opinion.

I guess to summarize the situation, at AEW All In: London, CM Punk got into a backstage altercation with Jack Perry. During the entrance to his match, Jack Perry tapped on the windshield of a car, turned to the camera and remarked it was “real glass.” This was a shot at CM Punk, who told Jack Perry not to use real glass during his match. After his match was over, CM Punk confronted Jack Perry and, according to the news I’ve read, Punk punched and locked in a chokehold on Jack Perry. Tony Khan, the owner of AEW, tried to intervene. This led to Punk reportedly lunging at Tony Khan before people got between the two. Punk then allegedly yelled that he quit and had to be calmed down by Samoa Joe, who was going to be his opponent so that they could go through the match.

Punk’s release was first announced on Twitter/X. The following night, on AEW Collision, Tony Khan walked out in front of the Chicago crowd, CM Punk’s hometown, no less. Credit to the man for addressing the situation personally and not just give a taped promo to pipe into the live audience. He went out and ate the boos and jeers from the crowd as everyone already knew he fired their hometown hero. He could’ve just hid backstage and not address the issue as they already issued a press release. He didn’t, so all the kudos goes to Tony Khan for manning up.

However, the issue with CM Punk started much earlier than the incident with Jack Perry at All In: London. No, it pretty much started after CM Punk made his presence felt in AEW. Things started out swimmingly, with Punk receiving a standing ovation during his first night in the company. Sadly, that didn’t last long as things soon soured between CM Punk and, well, a lot of people and, more importantly, the higher ups on AEW’s roster.

This could all be traced back to when CM Punk feuded with the then current AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page. During one of their promos, Adam Page commented he was protecting AEW from the likes of CM Punk, a comment which Punk didn’t appreciate as this wasn’t part of what they were supposed to talk about. This caused legitimate bad blood between CM Punk and Adam Page and, consequently, The Elite, consisting of the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, who were not only EVPs of AEW but Adam Page’s close friends. Although CM Punk won the match and became AEW World Champion, he got injured so he had to be put on the shelf for several months.

Fast forward a few months, CM Punk is back as an active wrestler and he gets a match against Jon Moxley, who became the AEW (Interim) World Champion during his absence. Sadly, no one was talking about the match as all the focus was on the post-show media scrum. CM Punk tried to clarify how he wasn’t a reason as to why Colt Cabana, CM Punk’s former friend turned kind of enemy, was fired from AEW. He then accused The Elite of spreading that bit as a rumor to discredit him and also went on a rant against Adam Page.

This did not sit well with The Elite as they confronted CM Punk in his locker room. A huge brawl erupted, leading to the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, who just won the new Trios championship that night, to get suspended. CM Punk was supposed to be suspended but, as he was injured during his match with Jon Moxley, he didn’t really feel the consequences. That cannot be said for Ace Steel, CM Punk’s friend, as he was fired shortly after. Punk did return after around 9 months and this did lead to the events involving Jack Perry as mentioned before.

Now, it is entirely possible the Elite were pulling some shenanigans backstage, which is what a lot of CM Punk fans are saying. That’s a total possibility. However, I just don’t see it, especially since the entire Jack Perry incident has nothing to do with them. This was just Jack Perry not taking CM Punk’s advice as he wanted to use real glass for his match. Sure, it’s unsafe and unnecessary as using stunt glass would’ve been fine. However, it was ultimately Jack Perry and AEW management’s decision to go that direction. This also doesn’t explain why CM Punk allegedly blew up backstage at All In: London at Tony Khan.

They way I see it, CM Punk comes off as too thin-skinned nowadays, which is why there’s a lot of controversy surrounding his tenure in AEW. He got upset with “Hangman” Adam Page for going off script. He tries to defend him not being involved with Colt Cabana’s firing and saying it’s all a rumor spread by the Elite during the media scrum despite him not being asked about it. He starts a brawl with Jack Perry because the kid didn’t take his advice. It just seems so weird that a professional wrestler of his caliber would get so riled up about these kinds of things.

This is especially true for the Adam Page promo. So, the guy went off script. That’s something a lot of professional wrestlers do. They adlib on the spot when they feel it’s the right thing to do at that point in time. If you’re on the opposite end of the adlib and you hate it, fine. Let the other person know backstage and, if they don’t like your thoughts, fine. You don’t have to be friends but you do have to work together.

The same thing can be said for the Jack Perry “real glass” incident. I do agree with CM Punk that using real glass when stunt glass would’ve worked well enough for the spot. However, the kid didn’t take your advice. What kind of kid always follows the advice of their elders, anyway? I would think, after the spot, Jack Perry would’ve learned his lesson enough and use stunt glass in the future. Going over to beat the kid up for not following your advice just doesn’t seem kosher. Also, it’s kind of ironic. You gave Jack Perry the advice because it might be hazardous to his health… then proceed to try to beat him up, which is also hazardous to his health!

As of this writing, CM Punk is reportedly going to give his side of the story. He’s going to have something “explosive” to say about his firing. I am eagerly awaiting his statement as I want him to change my mind. I want him to give a very convincing argument how his current self-destruction in AEW wasn’t his fault. I want him to do it because, at the end of the day, I am a CM Punk fan. I doubt he’ll be able to… but I want him to certainly try.

Byee!

What are your thoughts on CM Punk getting fired by Tony Khan from AEW? Let me know in the comments section below!