Backstage at AEW All Out on Sunday, AEW World Champion CM Punk went on a heated tirade against “Hangman” Adam Page, Colt Cabana, and the AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, who became the inaugural AEW World Trios Champions at All Out, the same night Punk defeated Jon Moxley to become a two-time AEW World Champion.
As PWMania.com previously reported, the situation was described as a “melee,” and AEW Producer Ace Steel was present along with his longtime friend/student, Punk. The Bucks confronted Punk about his scrum comments, and things became physical when Punk threw punches at Matt Jackson. There were rumors that Nick Jackson was “knocked out” during the altercation, and that Nick and Matt had cuts and bruises on Monday. Steel then allegedly threw a chair at Nick, striking him in the eye and this “knocked out” or “rocked” Nick. Steel is also accused of biting Omega and grabbing his hair. Steel and Omega had a “tussle,” and it escalated to the point where Steel bit Omega and pulled his hair. Steel was later reported to have “shoot cracked Nick with a chair,” and many people believe he will be fired from the company as a result of the incident. Tony Khan, AEW President, was not fully informed of the entire incident until after he had finished speaking with other talents at the scrum, and he was not present for any part of the backstage incident. There has been much discussion about how Khan recently set a precedent by suspending Eddie Kingston for his incident with Sammy Guevara, and how he may have to suspend all or some of the parties involved in Sunday’s incident. You can read our previous report with more details, including backstage talk about what happened, who was to blame, why there is some sympathy for MJF, and much more, by clicking here.
A new report from Fightful Select notes that they were able to confirm with sources that Steel bit Omega, Punk threw punches, and a chair hit Nick in the eye. However, there are differing perspectives on how everything began. More information on what happened is provided below:
* The brawl lasted “about six minutes,” with Brandon Cutler, AEW Producer Pat Buck, and AEW Talent Relations Head Christopher Daniels among those attempting to mediate.
* In regards to the Punk/Steel story, it was reported that after Punk’s appearance in the scrum, The Young Bucks approached Punk’s locker room, and Punk was not answering the door after working a long match, bloodied, and having just finished with an emotional scrum. The Bucks allegedly pounded on the door, with some claiming they “kicked it down.” Steel’s wife was in Punk’s locker room earlier in the night because she was watching his dog. Steel stated that his wife’s presence in the vicinity of the incident triggered him and caused him to go ballistic, throwing chairs and biting Omega. Steel claimed that he was more concerned with his wife than with anything else. Omega reportedly did not appear to be as upset at first, but things escalated and he was bit by Steel. The physical altercation was described as “very long,” as previously stated, another source estimated it to last six minutes. It was also reported that the back-and-forth continued after the brawl. It should be noted that the information provided above is only one side of the story.
* Some believe Punk should have been confronted about what he said during the scrum, while others believe Omega and The Bucks aggressively approached Punk’s locker room, which Punk may have misinterpreted as a 3-on-1 attack.
* Many people are upset with Punk’s handling of the situation on Sunday night. Even artists who would normally support Punk have either stated that they would not have done so or have declined to comment on the record. Several long-time AEW wrestlers are questioning why Punk was not let go after this.
* In regards to the conflicting reports on the start of the physical altercation, Wrestling Observer Radio noted that there is no dispute that Punk punched Matt multiple times, and that Steel threw the chair at Nick, bit Omega, and pulled his hair. However, one side claims that Punk threw the first punch when The Bucks entered the room where the brawl erupted, while the other claims that The Bucks were the aggressors and Punk and Steel were merely defending themselves. It was also stated that the parties involved are not permitted to speak due to pending legal issues, but when speaking with neutral parties, all but one person gave the same account of what occurred. When the fight broke out, there were a small number of people in the room at first, and then a large number of people. Those who witnessed what happened will have to speak with AEW officials and legal if they haven’t already. It’s also been speculated that if something happens to Steel, Punk will want to walk away because Steel is his longtime friend and original trainer.
* There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding AEW Dynamite from Buffalo on Wednesday, with several wrestlers unsure of their creative for the show.
* As PWMania.com previously reported at this link, Punk took a jab at MJF during the media scrum, with Khan also weighing in. According to reports coming from AEW, there was no indication of tension between MJF and Punk prior to Punk making his comments on Sunday night.
* There are rumors that Steel and Punk are leaving AEW, but sources close to the two say they have not been informed of any departures. Many on the AEW roster believe that if Punk and Steel are not released, significant amends will be required.
* Police are said to have been involved at some point. We previously mentioned that there was talk of potential legal ramifications for those involved, and that one source said Steel was lucky not to be in jail. People were keeping quiet about the incident, in part due to potential legal implications.
“Hoffman States Police Department does not have any police reports, nor any documentation that police were requested, during AEW All Out event for anything that allegedly occurred backstage. The only police response at the event was regarding a family issue in the audience,” the Hoffman Estates Police Department said in a statement.
For those who missed it, details on Punk’s injury at All Out can be found by clicking here.
Below is a video of a security guard rushing backstage on Sunday to deal with the incident, as well as the full scrum and a clip of Chris Jericho informing Khan of the incident:
When Jericho finished his scrum, he said to TK "Some shit went down" pic.twitter.com/HKvI5Ey5Wz
— Son Of A Glitch (@Andy_TGL2) September 5, 2022
I found the part of the security homie running out of the scrum. pic.twitter.com/8rxAeUilSj
— Righteous Reg (@RighteousReg) September 5, 2022
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
