Samoa Joe Tells His Side Of The AEW All In Backstage Fight Story
The current AEW World Champion on CM Punk's backstage fight with Jack Perry.
The backstage fight with Jack Perry that ultimately cost CM Punk his AEW job after last year's All In pay-per-view wasn't a big deal - at least to Samoa Joe.
Speaking with ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Joe described the August 2023 brawl as "a little bit of an incident" that was eventually broken up, before he and Punk hit the ring and opened the pay-per-view proper. He added that as it "wasn't that type of fight", it'd be pointless for him to say more.
Per Joe:
"There was a little bit of an incident. We got it broken up. We went out there and wrestled, man. That's the gist of it. Everybody wants it to be a lot more than what it is, but that's what it was. And to speak any more on it would be pointless unless you're trying to get a scorecard and stuff -- but trust me, it wasn't that type of a fight.”
AEW fired Punk with cause following a full investigation one week after the incident. The Chicagoan has since completed a WWE return. Perry, meanwhile, was suspended indefinitely. He is yet to return to AEW, though he showed up at NJPW's Battle in the Valley event last weekend, branding himself a "scapegoat."
Fightful Select reported shortly after Perry vs. Punk that "Joe was trying to be a peacekeeper and keep others out." Minutes after the fracas, Punk and Perry were wrestling in front of the Wembley Stadium crowd.
When Raimondi asked if the fight "wasn't a big deal", Joe was agreeable:
"Not to me. I've seen fights break out. Stuff happens. But again, that's me. I've been in these situations, I've seen that. I'll find it funny when people are like, 'Oh, Joe's cool with it.' I mean, nah man, it was a high-stress situation. Sure. But I mean, it's one I've seen happen many times. We get it squashed out. We had a show to do. We had [81,035] fans waiting out there. And that was my focus, because that's what it was about at that moment. We're about to go out and have the best night of our lives."
Joe currently reigns as AEW's World Champion, having dethroned MJF at 30 December's Worlds End pay-per-view.