AEW President Tony Khan Refuses To Comment On CM Punk Situation
Tony Khan has no comment regarding the latest drama surrounding CM Punk.
The August 12th edition of AEW Collision is making waves, but backstage drama has fans talking far more than what happened on the actual show. When the episode went off the air, CM Punk cut a scathing promo on ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, saying:
“Hello, North Carolina. What is this? Huh? What is this? Look at this. “Carolina is Hangman Country.” Earlier today, I went to a local supermarket and I figured out why they call him Hangman is because the pegs in the Toy aisle are full of Hangman action figures. ’cause nobody wants to buy ’em. He’s a peg warmer, unlike me who moves merchandise and pops ratings and sells toys.
“We got everybody in AEW saying, ‘I’m the heart, I am the soul. I am the spirit.’ Well, that’s objective [subjective]. What is a fact is the people who say that certainly aren’t the chin of AEW because the lights go out faster than what? GTS, go to sleep. I don’t know what I’m trying to do. I got rocked, too. I told the House, House of Black no chops, and they chopped me, so I’m very mad.” (h/t PWInsider)
Later, it was reported that Page had actually been sent to Greensboro, NC to film a pre-taped promo for the upcoming edition of AEW Dynamite, but he was refused entry and told to film the promo away from the venue.
In addition, Ryan Nemeth was flown to North Carolina for AEW Collision but was told upon arrival that he wasn’t needed and that a flight had been booked for him to return home immediately. Punk and Nemeth have been at odds in the past, even getting into a heated backstage confrontation at the June 21st episode of Dynamite stemming from Nemeth calling out Punk on social media. Christopher Daniels and Matt Hardy were reportedly also told to avoid AEW Collision.
“I Don’t Have Any Further Comment” – Tony Khan On CM Punk Drama
When asked on the Battleground Podcast if he had a comment on the situation, AEW President Tony Khan declined to address the issue, instead saying he’s happy that people are interested in AEW, both in and out of the ring.
“No, not really. I thought it was a great show on Saturday night. I don’t have any further comment to that, but I’m glad people are still very interested in our wrestlers and what’s happening after the wrestling shows. We’ll try to have a couple of great shows this week, and certainly, there has been a lot of interest in what’s happening in AEW in it and out of the ring.” (h/t Fightful)
According to one recent report, CM Punk is fiercely protective of keeping Collision a “low-drama environment,” which is the reason he doesn’t want those he views as disloyal or closely associated with The Elite backstage during the brand’s tapings.