As PWMania.com previously stated, AEW “Real” World Champion CM Punk is once again at the center of a backstage controversy stemming from recent AEW Collision tapings.
In an update, SEScoops reports that the incident following Saturday’s AEW Collision taping in Greensboro was not new or something that had been building up for a long time, as this has been the standard working environment since Collision launched and Punk returned to the company.
Punk reportedly blocked “Hangman” Adam Page and Ryan Nemeth from appearing at Saturday’s Collision show, despite both wrestlers having business at the arena. Page, who lives in Greensboro, was supposed to do pre-tapes, while Nemeth was supposed to work a match but was instead sent home. As PWMania.com previously reported, Punk’s post-show jabs at Page were inspired by a fan sign that read “Carolina Is Hangman Country.” In the promo, Punk mentioned seeing Hangman’s action figures filling a shelf at a local store, a dig at Page’s merchandise sales. When you realize Page lives in Greensboro, it all makes sense. Punk reportedly felt bad about how his post-show comments came across and apologized to Page via text message, which was confirmed by multiple sources.
While there was some speculation that Page had been “removed” from Saturday’s taping, PWInsider reports that this is not the case. According to their report, Page’s absence was simply due to the location of the pre-tape promo being relocated, which had nothing to do with Punk. It was thought that Punk’s post-show promo bled into Page’s pre-tape promo, which was moved by those looking to cause problems for Punk. It was stated again that Page lives in Greensboro, which is why his promo was scheduled to be filmed that day, and that AEW did not send Page on the road and then send him home. Page did his pre-tapes at a different location, as AEW has done previously. This practice of Punk blocking Collision talents is not new, and has been going on since the Collision premiere in Chicago. Punk reportedly stated that he has blocked several wrestlers from working the show, but he has denied blocking Page. Despite Punk’s claim that he did not block Page, and despite the above note from PWInsider, sources have confirmed that Punk did block Page from the show.
According to the latest SEScoops report, Punk has also blocked a fifth unnamed wrestler from attending Collision events and tapings. Page, Nemeth, Matt Hardy, and AEW Director of Talent Relations Christopher Daniels have all been named, but no word on the fifth. This week, it was revealed that Punk had an altercation with FTW Champion Jack Perry, but no word on whether Perry is the unnamed fifth wrestler. This wrestler has been denied access to “numerous” shows.
There is also internal pressure on AEW President Tony Khan. According to SEScoops, AEW talent and staff have said Khan is lacking in leadership and is straining under the weight of the massive All In show planned for Wembley Stadium in London later this month, as well as the weight of two prime-time TV shows and the fallout from the biggest pro wrestling locker room debacle since WWE’s 1997 Survivor Series.
“A lot ….. are upset about Wembley,” said one un-named wrestler. “Maybe if it were just Wembley, it would be different. But with everything that’s happened over the last year, it’s becoming the one major issue. People want to know if they’re going to London, what the card is going to be … it’s a show everyone wants to be on. It’s like our WrestleMania 3, or maybe our WrestleMania 1, but there isn’t any urgency. People are scared we aren’t going to live up to this moment.”
The main event matches for All In were only recently announced, but this was somewhat expected given Khan’s statement in June during the Forbidden Door II post-show scrum that the All In card would be delayed due to injuries and other issues.
“He said (in the presser just after) Forbidden Door that (Wembley) would be a card that would take time to build,” said another AEW employee. “He said this was going to be the case, so I’m not sure why everyone is disgruntled about it. I get the fans, but Bryan Danielson would have likely been in the main event or in the top of the card somewhere, then he breaks his arm the same night Tony said this, so it was already a factor before anyone knew how bad he was hurt. That caused a huge change in plans. Tony even said, injuries are going to make this like the first Forbidden Door show when things developed and were scheduled late, and that’s been the case.”
It was noted that wrestlers and staff have avoided talking about Punk since his return for the Collision premiere. While company officials and other wrestlers have claimed that everything is fine, other wrestlers and staff who have spoken out say that this is not the case.
“People have accepted it as a reality, even though it’s driving everyone nuts,” one wrestler said. “People don’t understand Tony at first, then kind of gave up and realized this is who he’s going with. This company was growing before (Punk) ever came here. But after everything that’s happened, for Tony to give him his own show and free reign over everything, including people who can get in or not, then that’s the end of it.”
