AEW is Expecting a Response From CM Punk Following His Firing

AEW announced on Saturday night that it had terminated CM Punk's contract following his backstage altercation with Jack Perry at the All In pay-per-view last weekend at Wembley Stadium. Tony Khan then opened the show by echoing the news, mentioning that he felt his own safety was at risk after Punk reportedly "lunged" at him. He wrote in the press release that announced Punk's firing, "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."

Punk has yet to make any kind of statement regarding his sudden departure from the company. But, according to Sports Illustrated, AEW is expecting something potentially "explosive" when he does. 

"This is by no means the end of Phil Brooks as CM Punk. Sources close to both sides expect a response from Punk, which holds the potential to be explosive," SI's Justin Barrasso wrote on Sunday morning.

CM Punk Previously Apologized for the "Brawl Out"

Punk's encounter with Perry wasn't the first high-profile backstage incident the former world champion had been involved in since joining AEW. The first was the "Brawl Out" from after the All Out 2022 pay-per-view, which saw Punk involved in a fight that included Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Ace Steel after Punk made some disparaging comments during the post-show press conference. Punk confirmed in an interview with ESPN earlier this year that he apologized to Khan for the public comments he made.

"The first thing I said to Tony when I sat down with him and spoke to him after it was, 'Man, I'm really sorry I put you in that position,'" Punk said. "I apologize for the scrum."

"But when you've watched that scrum, you're looking at a very, very frustrated guy who had told people. That's not the first time he heard all that. It's not the first time lawyers were told all that," Punk continued. "I was just looking for something to be done and nothing got done. So, if you want something done right, you got to do it yourself. I just didn't approach it in the right manner, but tension was high. I was very, very pissed. I pretty much knew that I had just injured myself again. I was hurt, and I was disappointed. It's very easy for me to say I regret that and I handled it the wrong way, 100%."

AEW All Out 2023 Card (As Of Now)

• AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley
• AEW TNT Championship: Luchasaurus vs. Darby Allin
• AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho
• ROH World Tag Team Championships: MJF & Adam Cole ve. TBA
• ROH World Television Championship: Samoa Joe vs. Shane Taylor
• Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita 
• Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
• Bullet Club Gold vs. The Young Bucks & FTR
• Eddie Kingston & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta
• Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks (Strap Match)
• (Zero Hour) AEW World Trios Championships: The Acclaimed vs. Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh & Jay Lethal
• (Zero Hour) Over Budget Battle Royale
• (Zero Hour) Athena, Mercedes Martinez & Diamante vs. Hikaru Shida, Willow Nightingale & Skye Blue