CM Punk FIRED From AEW
Mercurial superstar terminated after backstage scuffle at All In with Jack Perry.
CM Punk's second run with All Elite Wrestling came to an abrupt end Saturday, when the promotion fired the mercurial wrestler "with cause, effective immediately" for his involvement in a backstage scuffle with Jack Perry at last week's All In PPV.
AEW announced the decision via X (formerly Twitter) Saturday afternoon following a weeklong investigation into the heated incident that took place backstage in-between the two wrestlers' matches at Wembley Stadium.
In part, the statement from AEW and company CEO Tony Khan read:
Following the investigation, the AEW Discipline Committee met and later convened with outside legal counsel before making a unanimous recommendation to Khan that CM Punk be terminated with cause.
In the statement, Khan thanked Punk for his contributions and acknowledged that the decision to let Punk go was "mine alone" and made "in the best interests of the many amazing people who make AEW possible every week."
The decision to part ways with Punk comes just three months after the controversial star had returned to AEW following an eight-month sojourn in the wake of another backstage brawl at All Out in September 2022.
Punk has always been viewed as a volatile personality who brought intense feelings from supporters and detractors. His 2021 return to wrestling after a seven-year absence was widely celebrated, with his feud with MJF receiving immense praise.
Two world title reigns would follow before Punk unloaded on members of the Elite in his now-infamous post All Out press scrum, leading to a backstage fight between them and other ancillary parties. As he was also injured during the PPV match, Punk disappeared from television and his title was vacated.
When he returned in June, Punk was assigned almost exclusively to Collision, with the Elite remaining a fixture on Dynamite, as AEW seemingly used a soft brand split to keep combustible elements apart.
But with all talent present for PPVs, it felt like it was only a matter of time before things reached a boiling point. That came at last weekend's All In in London, when Punk and Perry had a confrontation allegedly revolving around existing heat between the two.
AEW's statement did not delve further into the backstage controversy.
Statement from All Elite Wrestling and Tony Khan pic.twitter.com/3MtW6MkGDf
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 2, 2023
Punk had not immediately posted a response to this decision. Obviously, there will be much more fallout from this story in the hours and days ahead.