The ticking time bomb that is CM Punk’s tenure in AEW seems to be close to another detonation, and this time AEW executive Tony Khan needs to ask himself if he is willing to let his favorite star destroy his own company.
The latest reports from backstage, which include Adam Page being prevented from entering the Greensboro Coliseum on August 12 before AEW Collision, and Punk supposedly also preventing Head of Talent Relations Christopher Daniels, as well as undercard wrestler Ryan Nemeth, from working at Collision tapings.
The situation is not surprising for anyone that has followed Punk’s career, particularly his time in AEW, which is a career littered with paranoia, self-sabotage, and a remarkable commitment to creating enemies. Early goodwill that was earned through his tremendous return to professional wrestling two years ago has been erased by his own overwhelming suspicion that everyone is out to get him.
That suspicion led to a meltdown following ALL OUT last year, where he accused the Young Bucks and Page of spreading rumors about Punk attempting to get Colt Cabana fired from AEW during a press conference. These comments led to a real-life fight immediately after Punk finished the press conference, which ended up with several wrestlers and backstage talent getting suspended, or in the case of producer Ace Steel, fired.
Punk, who missed months following ALL OUT recovering from injury, lurked in the shadows waiting to make his return to the company. While it seemed like reconciliation between Punk and his various enemies in the company would be necessary in order for Punk to return, Khan evidently saw otherwise. Instead, Punk and wrestlers who were willing to work around him would be held virtually exclusive to a new, Saturday night show, and wrestlers who did not want to be around Punk wouldn’t be asked to work Saturdays.
Predictably, the situation was untenable without any of the conflict being resolved. Supposedly, Punk used his first opportunity being at a Dynamite to confront Nemeth backstage, getting in his face and questioning him about a tweet Nemeth sent, seemingly making fun of Punk in response to Punk’s promo on Collision.
When one of the wrestlers siloed on Dynamite, Adam Page, was asked to be at Collision to cut a promo, Page found himself essentially barred from the building, either at the behest of Punk or, at the least, with Punk’s delicate mental status in mind.
The irony of Punk confronting Nemeth over a Tweet, with Punk allegedly telling Nemeth that it was a bad look to drive division between The Elite and Punk, which only came after Punk cut a brazen promo that was clearly aimed at doing just that, will not be lost on fans, and is an example of Punk’s prodigious lack of self-awareness.
His alleged barring of Page from the building shows how much authority he has been granted in AEW. Page likely drove from his Virginia home to the event in Greensboro in anticipation of cutting his promo. While Nemeth is a preliminary wrestler, Page is a major star in AEW–yet Punk didn’t even have to confront Page. Instead, Page was kept out of the building, and told he had to cut his promo at an off-site location.
For Page, who recently signed a surely multi-million dollar contract extension with AEW, to be banned from the building highlights the power that Punk has cultivated backstage, and also the priorities of Khan. Khan is bending over backwards for his 44-year-old star, who is a proven drawing card at the highest level, at the expense of his 32-year-old star, who has been meticulously pushed since the start of the company.
Page has taken numerous snipes from Punk, including bearing the brunt of Punk’s insults during his infamous ALL OUT press conference tirade, which have been a consequence of him catching Punk off guard with an unexpected “workers right” comment, which alluded to Punk getting Cabana fired and likely fueled Punk’s inclination that Page and his friends were out to destroy Punk. Since that promo, Page has said nothing, both on the record or to members of the media, about Punk or the incident–yet Punk still seems to view him as enemy number one.
Lastly, the dismissal from Collision of Christoper Daniels, the Head of Talent Relations, shows that in AEW, job titles seem to mean nothing. Lofty positions can seemingly easily be overruled by Punk, who doesn’t seem to have an official title in AEW outside of being Tony Khan’s favorite wrestler and the biggest star. So far, since his return to the company, Punk has shown that he can boss and bully anyone in the company, including Khan, who appears powerless to reign him in.
Reports are that Punk is extremely hands-on with Collision, and that Punk is watchful of any person who sees as dissenters, with them being persona non-grata in his locker room. This is evidenced by him supposedly barring Page and Daniels from the show, and making an example out of Nemeth who dared to say something public that was negative towards Punk. According to Pro Wrestling Torch, wrestlers are afraid to criticize Punk, given his tight alliance with Khan.
Unsurprisingly, the Torch also reported that reviews for Punk’s leadership inside the Collision locker room are high. For those who can penetrate the bunker, the atmosphere is considered strong. By barring any perceived enemies and showing a willingness to bully anyone who he views as partial towards the Elite, Punk has created a protective bubble for himself to operate in. However, anything, such as the chance that Page will be in the building to cut a promo, seems to threaten penetrating that bubble.
All of the backstage reporting is unlikely to reach the minds of the typical AEW fan. The hardcore, very-online section of the fanbase is waiting with baited breath on the latest reports, but a majority of the fanbase is probably ambivalent towards the news.
The issue with the constant strife is that it seems to be spilling into the creative aspects of the company, with reports that both Dynamite and Collision are being booked more last-minute than in the past. It seems uncoincidental that the build for ALL IN, the first PPV to really be built during the Collision-era, has had a scattered build, with stagnant and inconsistent feud development. Is it because Punk is ruling Collision as his own personal fiefdom, causing some booking issues and confusion, or is it because Khan himself is stretched too thin? The evidence is inconclusive.
A significant issue in the build to ALL IN has been the storylines involving Punk himself. Punk returned to AEW and wrestled Samoa Joe in his return match, beating him cleanly. Then he feuded briefly with Jay White and Ricky Starks, and now, for some reason, is wrestling Joe at ALL IN, asking the question why Punk beat Joe earlier this year? Meanwhile, White and Starks have no major feud leading up to ALL IN, which is now just weeks ago. At the same time, Punk is also “feuding” with MJF, who he has called out several times over the AEW World Championship, and apparently with Page, who he buried in an off-screen promo after Collision on Saturday night.
The average fan may not register the latest Punk-related drama, but they will notice when they see inconsistent storylines, and their favorite wrestlers not being prominently featured on the show. This surely cannot be attributed to Punk, but it does ask if the drama and need to keep everyone separate, clearly a response to Punk’s attitude issues, has led to creative stagnation, and thus an inferior product?
Tony Khan has often spoken about how he has learned from the mistakes of other former promoters. Yet with his willingness to allow Punk to call the shots, he has committed himself to repeating one of the most obvious mistakes in wrestling history, and drawing warranted comparisons to Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan in WCW.
With his meltdown last year, Punk has already soured many fans who otherwise would be supportive of his involvement in AEW. The responses in arenas have turned him into a tweener at best, and Punk himself seems extremely committed to driving as much divisiveness from the fanbase as possible.
The strength of AEW is largely based on the positive atmosphere that flows from the talent into the buildings. The crowds are lively and engaged, wrestlers are over with the audience, and there is a constant element of people having a good time. News about backstage issues undermines that atmosphere, and if it impacts talent’s ability to be in consistent stories and to appear live on a show, it will hurt the live crowd, which in turn will surely hurt the viewing audience.
Khan desperately needs to reassert control over what has become a runaway train of non-stop Punk drama, or he risks fundamentally changing not only the AEW locker room, but the fan base as well into a group of paranoid and divided customers.
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