10 Biggest Mysteries In The Secret War Between AEW And CM Punk

7. Why Didn't Book Tony Khan Book Colt Cabana To Do A Job?

CM Punk
AEW

Mystery:

Imagine you've got yourself in a spot of silly bother. People think you've done something that isn't very cool - say, for example, they think you've taken drugs and you're in a line of work that expressly forbids it. Good news, though: you haven't!

Do you

A) Shy away from questioning and just insist that you haven't done this, even though you are very much thought to have done this, or

B) Take a piss test there and then to remove all doubt?

Faced with a very suspicious and increasingly divided locker room, why didn't Tony Khan book Colt Cabana, who had lost frequently on TV and wasn't being pushed or anything, to do a job typical of his role on Elevation?

Even if Colt wasn't a Tony Khan Guy, the circumstances were different by the early summer of 2022. If Khan didn't really believe in Colt, that doesn't matter. The situation is no longer about creative; it's entirely political, and locker room morale is hanging in the balance.

In one fell swoop, Khan could have pacified the fandom and the locker room. There can't be anything in this rumour after all, they'd have said. Colt just lost in six minutes to Jay Lethal.

And it's not as if precious TV time was at risk here. Who really gives a sh*t about YouTube?

This thought, if Khan were allowed to think it, would have crossed his mind. A person wrongly suspected of a crime would immediately use their alibi.

Strange, no?

Particularly since Khan did this exact same thing when Punk went AWOL after Brawl Out.

Theory:

Because he couldn't book Cabana in AEW before Punk went AWOL after Brawl Out. Isn't this literally the only explanation?

Nobody can say that for an absolute fact, but it seems odd that Khan didn't take the easiest option.

Maybe he didn't think of that...

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!