Last night’s episode of AEW Collision kicked off with President, General Manager, and Head of Creative Tony Khan addressing the termination of CM Punk. Punk’s termination from the company comes on the heels of a backstage altercation at All In that saw him and Jack Perry arguing, shoving, and eventually entangled in a chokehold. During his address, Khan framed the incident as something he felt endangered his life and put others in the area at risk.
Sports Illustrated reports that they have heard from more than a few people in the industry who have been critical of Khan’s address. They also note that one person who was not surprised by Punk’s termination was Warner Brothers Discovery CEO and President David Zaslav, who was made aware of the decision before the press release about it went out.
The report goes on to say that, based on sources they have spoken with on both sides, Punk is expected to respond publicly to his termination and that his response could be “explosive.” What Punk does after his response is anyone’s guess. There is speculation he could return to WWE, but sources Haus of Wrestling has spoken with have given very mixed signals about that. It is entirely possible Punk leaves pro wrestling for the time being, or possibly forever, which is what we reported shortly after the All In incident took place.
AEW will present All Out tonight from The United Center in Chicago, IL. I will be in attendance representing Haus of Wrestling and will be participating in the post-show media scrum. Please continue to check in on the site and our social media channels for full coverage of the big event.