25 Worst Wrestling Moments Of 2022

The All Out media scrum is one of the most legendary moments of this decade. 

It would be disingenuous for anybody to suggest that it wasn't highly enjoyable to watch CM Punk nonchalantly chomping on a muffin as he burned AEW to the ground, all while his employer sat next to him pulling a series of faces that could be put into a meme gallery and hung in the Louvre. It was, by all accounts, very, very funny.

That said, it showed that AEW still had much to learn when it came to competing at the highest level. Dirt sheet reporting of behind-the-scenes turmoil had run rampant for months, and these rumors caught fire after Adam Page's public accusations discussed in the previous entry. Watching the whole thing all spill over in real time during a post-show press conference was a morbidly fascinating moment for the ages. It was the very definition of "must see", but its consequences were almost fatal.

CM Punk's public dissatisfaction killed the idea that AEW was a happy family, something that had been crucial to the company's success up to this moment. Had this been nipped in the bud and handled in a professional manner, Punk could (and should) have had a feud for the ages with The Elite, been part of Bryan Danielson's farewell run, and played a major role in elevating the likes of Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland to superstar status (instead of making himself and TKO millions of dollars in WWE). Instead, it drew a line in the sand and made fans pick between the company's biggest star and the company itself.