By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW issued the following statement on Saturday to announce the termination of CM Punk.
Statement from All Elite Wrestling and Tony Khan pic.twitter.com/3MtW6MkGDf
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 2, 2023
Powell’s POV: It’s unclear whether Punk being terminated with cause means he is contractually free to go elsewhere. The statement does not address whether Jack Perry will face additional punishment for his role in the incident that occurred at last weekend’s All In pay-per-view.
I haven’t been high on Tony Khan’s seemingly passive approach to managing the issues involving Punk and The Elite members since last year’s All Out event. While I’m not picking sides in terms of whether firing Punk was the right or wrong move, I do applaud Khan for taking ownership of the decision rather than passing the blame to the legal department. It’s an important step toward letting everyone in the company know that the buck stops with him.
It will be very interesting to see how this move affects AEW Collision both in terms of the show losing its top star and also when it comes to the show’s creative approach. Punk seemed to have a lot of influence over the creative direction and making it feel unique compared to AEW Dynamite. The timing of the move is less than ideal for AEW with back-to-back shows in Punk’s hometown of Chicago tonight and Sunday.
I am very curious to see what’s next for Punk if he is contractually free. He seems to have a good relationship with the Endeavor group that is in the process of acquiring WWE going back to his two fight run in UFC. But there’s no telling whether he’s interested in returning to WWE or if WWE management will be interested in bringing him back.
1. good for TK. This may be the day we say AEW became a real company rather than a clubhouse – now stop the WWE references and stand on your own accomplishments and you might be on to something
2. Hand Collision over to Danielson (and keep him out of the ring so he doesn’t get more perm hurt).
3 I bet VKM has already texted Punk. But HHH will walk of they bring him back. Not worth it (for that reason and many many others). See you on Impact1000 Phil
Fuck Tony Khan.
The Elite attacked Punk in his locker room, with the fucking company lawyer egging them on to do it, and cockless Tony didn’t even talk to Ace Steel’s wife even though she was in the mother fucking locker room.
Now, Bitch Boy Owner tells Punk to talk to Perry at Collision after Perry ignored the agent and other management that night about using real glass, saw that pathetic little mop headed twat start shit ON FUCKING LIVE AIR and then confront Punk at Gorilla, and now he fires Punk “with cause.”
What a fucking pathetic piece of shit.
I’m not sure I understand how you feel. Have you considered using more profanity?
Wasn’t expecting anybody to actually get terminated for the incident. In the short term this will deflate the events this weekend for sure; the crowd may be showing the wrong kind of Goldberg/Lesnar WM XX enthusiasm at the PPV, if some of them even show up that is with the sudden changes. Long term we will see if the direction and identity that they had with Collision will be sustained or if the show will lose sight of it’s creative goals. This is the kind of thing that it takes for AEW to get a headline mention on cbssports.com, rather than what the product is actually offering as a show. It leaves me more disinterested than before.
I won’t use the language a previous individual did, however my sentiment is roughly the same, AEW needs to change to All friends wrestling, Punk is a hot head and should’ve known better, but a year ago with the last skirmish the best friends targeted Punk with first Adam Page going into business for himself bringing up issues he didn’t know a thing about which prompted the media scrum, then the rest of the friends all went to Punk’s locker room and the skirmish ensued. Everyone was suspended as they should have, but the locker room is definitely divided. Jungle Jackass started all alone the latest incident and Punk took care of it. Mark my words, the ratings will crash. The Elite is the reason Dynamite sucks while Collision is great. The Elite is the reason Cody left. Kenny Omega is phenomenal, one of the best in the world, but the Bucks, can go to hell as well as that third rate wrestler Adam Page. Punk is probably a little too much, but the asshats that are ruining AEW are the EVPs, can’t wait to hear Corny’s take.
Good riddance, Punk. I can obly imagine the sigh of relief in the locker room.
@thegreatestone To quote Jack Perry: “Cry me a river” 😉
I can’t believe I great with TGS but he’s right. Massive L. Bye bye AEW, not sticking around to see Mox bleed every night or stringbean Cassidy kicking out of 10 finishers.
Imagine Vince McMahon at any age in his life saying he felt in danger
Good riddance, Phil.
Ratings already been dipping. But to hold AEW events in Chicago when you fired the guy? Might want to divert your events away from that city. Perry isnt fired for this? Well you can tell who Tony listens to.
Punk should sue AEW. The wrestling media may be blind to this company’s flaws, but the legal system would see AEW for the joke working environment it is.
Although it’s hard to take a position on whether this was right or wrong as we don’t have all of the facts (although some people on here seem convinced that they do), I do agree that it is kind of nice to see Tony finally act like a leader. Nevertheless, this is a massive shame for AEW fans, especially those like me who were really enjoying the change of pace Collision offered. Again just supposition, but for Tony to fire Punk right now, just before a PPV in Chicago, something pretty serious must have happened that we don’t know about yet. Unless of course, this is all a work, but let’s not go down that road…
If he really has been fired, I think there is a good chance he turns up in WWE now, if only to spite AEW. It would only be a short run though, I imagine. A real shame though – I am not a fan of Punk the man from what I know, but I am a big fan of Punk the wrestler and he made this company better.
Keeping the charisma void that is Jungle Jackoff over Punk is definitely a choice.
I can take Collision off the DVR now. It was the only AEW show I was still recording.
Punk deserved better than a locker room full of children. Missed opportunity, to say the least.
Maybe now he can win the Rumble and main event Wrestlemania, even those his previous Mania match against the Undertaker was the best of the night, and among the best that year.
Look at all the wrestling company owners give their two cents here!
Bottom line: YOU don’t run the company. Many of you wouldn’t have the balls to go out in front of the Chicago crowd. He did. AEW gave the fans notice of termination before the show last night and tonight’s PPV. People could sell their tix.
I was a Punk fan right up until reading the news last weekend, but wanted to see the findings and waited for an announcement. He became a major liability after given many chances, esp after the scrum. That should have ended him (and would have ended many other’s careers), but he was given not only a second chance, but a Sat. night show!
Phil was given the ball and he dropped it more than once because he deals with conflict like some of you and your takes on this board because you have nothing else in your lives. Phil had everything in AEW presented to him on a silver platter and he came back for another chance and still couldn’t shut up and be professional.
I cannot support Punk as a fan anymore.
AEW was there before Punk, it’ll be there after Punk, and all the crying and crying won’t change that.
This is a situation that a) is none of our business and b) doesn’t affect our lives in any manner, but some of you will have probably been on many message boards and Twitter going at this non-stop. Prob since last weekend.
Go live life. Enjoy wrestling when it is on. Think for yourselves instead of letting Cornette dictate what you like and don’t like.
WWE’s show was decent last night. While on paper, tonight’s show isn’t as strong as last Sunday’s, but we get to watch more wrestling and see people that weren’t on last week’s show.
Enjoy wrestling and let the man child deal with his own life.
If WWE did to to one of their talents after the same thing, I’d support them. Hindsight is 20/20 and I’m sure they see that getting rid of Punk last year would have probably been the best, BUT we are not there. We are not lawyers, we are not the boss.
This is all the energy I will put into this situation and go back to living life and watching wrestling. Collision will be fine – it’s just minus one person.
AEW actually picked the side of Jungle JackOff. LOL What a joke of a company.