Mixed Reaction To CM Punk’s AEW Firing Backstage
There seems to be a mixed reaction backstage in AEW to CM Punk’s firing.
The saga of CM Punk in AEW is now at an end following the company announcing that he has been “terminated with cause effective immediately.” Punk was involved in a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at the All In event in Wembley Stadium with both men subsequently suspended pending an investigation.
Punk’s firing was confirmed on social media with AEW releasing a statement that read:
STATEMENT FROM ALL ELITE WRESTLING AND TONY KHAN
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has terminated the wrestler and employment agreements between Phillip Brooks (CM Punk) and AEW with cause, effective immediately. The termination was confirmed today by Tony Khan, CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative of AEW.
The termination follows a weeklong internal investigation of an incident occurring back stage at AEW – All In London on Sunday, August 27. 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.
Khan offered the following statement:
“Phil played an important role within AEW and I thank him for his contributions. The termination of his AEW contracts with cause is ultimately my decision, and mine alone. Of course, I wish I didn’t have to share this news, which may come as a disappointment to many of our fans. Nevertheless, I am making the decision in the best interests of the many amazing people who make AEW possible every week – our talent, staff, venue operators and many others whose efforts are unsung but essential to bringing our fans great shows on television and at arenas and stadiums throughout the world.”
Some AEW stars “down” on CM Punk’s termination
The AEW train keeps on rolling, now without Punk, and many of the company’s stars are gathered for what should be an interesting edition of Collision. PWInsider has reported that the backstage reaction to the Punk news depends on the person asked with some said to be down on it while others are happy and believe it to be the right move.
Some in the company are said to be glad that Tony Khan made a decision one way or the other and hope that the focus can be on the AEW shows moving forward.