Fans in attendance for the NJPW’s Battle in the Valley event received a big shock when former AEW World Tag Team Champion Jack Perry appeared and attacked Shota Umino.
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Umino was celebrating his win, posing for pictures with fans ringside when a masked man attacked him and jumped over the barricade. It was unveiled to be Perry, who continued his assault on Umino ringside. When he was finished, he ripped apart his AEW contract in the middle of the ring. He was also wearing an armband reading “scapegoat.” Umino has many ties to AEW, having wrestled in the promotion’s AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-views and his alliance with the Blackpool Combat Club.
Perry hasn’t been seen in AEW since August when he competed at AEW All In London. After Perry antagonized CM Punk during his Zero Hour match with Hook, telling the camera that the car was “real glass” and famously saying “cry me a river” it caused the two to get into it backstage. Punk then opened the show, defending the “Real” Worlds Championship against Samoa Joe, walking out of the match throwing up a peace sign. AEW President Tony Khan confirmed an altercation took place during the show but declined to comment any further. The two were then suspended and a week later, Khan announced that AEW had parted ways with Punk ahead of the All Out pay-per-view in Chicago.
Although little has been said about the situation, new details emerged this week when DJ Whoo Kid discussed the situation from his point of view backstage. He would go on to sing Swerve Strickland to the ring for his match teaming with Christian Cage against Sting and Darby Allin. “It was crazy. It was ongoing, they told me. This has been an ongoing. That was the last straw,” DJ Whoo Kid said. “It was the biggest moment for AEW and I guess he was trying to sabotage that moment. [Punk] wasn’t trying to go out there. I’m in the middle. I’m the fly on the wall. It was very intense. I always thought it was fake and all this s–t. It’s more real.” He also admitted that Joe was instrumental in helping restore order backstage. Earlier reports had indicated that Punk allegedly threatened to no-show the match.
What do you think about Perry showing up in New Japan Pro Wrestling? Is a run in Japan what he needs? Let us know in the comments!
