We are a little over a year removed from one of the most memorable pro wrestling press conferences of all time, AEW All Out 2022. Following the big event, a bloody CM Punk infamously took his seat at the table with a clear plastic bag filled with lime Spindrift and a muffin from Mindy’s bakery. Punk proceeded to lay into The Young Bucks and others he felt were doing a poor job managing the young promotion. Following his address, a brawl broke out in the backstage area involving Punk, his friend Ace Steel, members of The Elite, and more. Everyone involved was taken off TV, stripped of their titles, and forced to sign an NDA about what transpired.
On Wrestling With Rip Rogers, Punk and Steel’s attorney Stephen P. New was asked if he could give any details on the NDA the two men signed after All Out.
“You’re never going to hear me or Ace or Punk comment on the particulars,” he began. “The only thing that I will say is that those are two of the most stand-up guys that I’ve ever met in any walk of life, let alone the sport of professional wrestling, and I’ll always be here for those guys. That’s really all that I can say.”
New went on to talk about his relationship with Megha Parekh and Chris Peck, who were the members of AEW’s legal team that he had to deal with after the incident. He said that at first since he hosts his own pro wrestling podcast, he thought the legal team was expecting him to cut Jim Cornette-style promos on them, which he did not do. Instead, News says he formed a positive relationship with both individuals that helped him later on when he had other legal issues arise involving Punk.
“Punk’s obviously happy; he’s in a good place,” he stated. “Ace is happy; he’s in a good place. And I’ll always be here for those guys. And as Ace said, the only person, and granted she’s not completely objective and unbiased, but the only person not subject to an NDA, who’s not subject to confidentiality provisions is Ace’s wife, Lucy. And so you know, maybe one day she tells the story.”
Before the interview wrapped, New was pressed on whether the NDAs that Punk and Steel signed were for life, to which he responded, “Yes.”
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