The fallout from the backstage melee that occurred following Sunday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view continues. The full details of the incident, which pitted CM Punk and AEW Producer Ace Steel against AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson, can be found by clicking here. The AEW World Title, which Punk won from Jon Moxley at All Out, and the AEW World Trios Titles, which The Elite won at All Out by defeating Adam Page, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver, were vacated by AEW President Tony Khan at this week’s Dynamite. A tournament is underway to determine a new World Champion, and Death Triangle defeated Best Friends on Dynamite to become the new Trios Champions. According to reports, a third-party investigation is underway to determine exactly what occurred on Sunday night at the NOW Arena. Punk and Steel were rumored to be fired or suspended, and it was also reported that “everyone involved,” including Omega, Nick, Matt, AEW Producer Pat Buck, Talent Relations Head Christopher Daniels, Michael Nakazawa, and Brandon Cutler, were suspended. According to one of the earlier reports, Cutler, Buck, and Daniels were among those attempting to calm the situation, and it’s unclear why they were reportedly suspended.
A new report from Fightful Select has revealed more details from the incident, as well as The Elite’s account of what happened. For those who missed it, the previous fight details, including a police statement, potential legal issues for those involved, and more, can be found by clicking here. The following updates have recently been reported:
* According to sources close to The Elite, The Bucks went to see Punk, as he had advised them to do if they had a problem. The claim was that they opened his locker room door rather than kicking it in, and before Matt could say anything, Punk went off and began throwing sucker punches at Matt’s head. Steel allegedly threw a chair at Nick in the face after Nick intervened. Omega’s involvement was said to be him attempting to remove Punk’s dog Larry from the situation in order to keep him safe because he was “barking and going crazy.” According to the Elite, after Omega handed Larry over, he attempted to wrestle Steel away from Nick, and Steel bit Omega and pulled his hair. All sides continued to yell, and Punk’s side allegedly threatened legal action.
* To be clear, the following was previously reported as the Punk/Steel side of things’ account of the incident: The Young Bucks were said to have approached Punk’s locker room after his appearance in the scrum, and Punk was not answering the door after working a long match, being 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 claimed 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,” but as previously stated, another source estimated it to last six minutes. It was also claimed that the back-and-forth continued after the brawl.
* In the days following All Out, people in contact with Punk and Steel have softened their stance that The Bucks definitely kicked down Punk’s door. Instead, they’ve suggested that they could have kicked, shoulder-bagged, or otherwise forced their way in. They claimed that “kicking down the door” was a clear turn of phrase in that context and should have been clarified. The reason given was that Punk didn’t want to talk to anyone because he was either receiving medical attention or had recently received medical attention for his cut. The side has also changed their story about what caused Steel to start biting and throwing chairs, from his wife being nearby to him believing Omega was attacking Punk while he was attempting to pull Punk off one of The Bucks. Steel’s wife was reportedly in Punk’s locker room watching his dog, and he reportedly told people that’s what triggered him, that he was protecting his wife.
* It should be noted that the accounts of the fight differ significantly depending on which side they are from, and even different versions of each side have made the rounds, and these should not be taken as “the gospel,” but are simply what people close to the parties involved have relayed.
* There has been much discussion about how none of the parties involved were mentioned on AEW Dynamite this week. This directive also applied to commentary and social media. They were also removed from the Dynamite opening video, and it’s expected that the Rampage video will follow suit on Friday. None of the parties involved were present at Dynamite.
* As of Tuesday, going into Dynamite, much of the roster didn’t know what they’d be allowed to say or whether they’d be able to address it, so some of their content had to be adjusted accordingly. There had been rumors that a top AEW talent was planning a vacation, and Jon Moxley confirmed that it was him. According to AEW sources, they expected Moxley to return from his hometown of Cincinnati by the October 18 Dynamite, but he ended up staying to help conduct Wednesday’s talent meeting, add star power to Dynamite, and compete in the AEW World Title tournament. Moxley was given a first-round bye and will face the winner of the Rampage match between Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin on Friday. Chris Jericho received a first-round bye as well and will face Bryan Danielson in the semi-finals next week, when Moxley will face the winner of Allin vs. Guevara. The Grand Slam Dynamite will host the finals to crown a new AEW World Champion on September 21st, pitting Jericho or Danielson against Moxley, Guevara, or Allin. There has been no word on whether Moxley will take time off following his involvement in the tournament
* AEW talent have not been told specifically what will happen to Punk, but they believe it is all pending the results of the third-party investigation. Staff and talent believe that unless Punk’s suspension is unpaid or he is fired, it is only temporary, given that he will be out until 2023 due to a torn triceps.
* As of Wednesday, much of the criticism directed at Punk was centered on his media scrum rant. Punk had been causing friction in the locker room for some time, but one source claims that blaming him for all of the recent locker room issues is unfair because they had reached an all-time high when Punk was gone.
* After this week’s Dynamite, there was said to be a much more positive vibe in AEW, with one source saying it couldn’t have been worse than the chaos of the previous days. According to the same source, the situation was “out of sight, out of mind” for many people on the roster who simply wanted to show up and work. Another talent stated that the best way for all parties to make amends for the public humiliation would be to simply get past the issues, make money for the company, and highlight other talents along the way.
* The Tokyo Game Show is set to take place from September 15 to 18, and Omega, Nakazawa, and Daniels were scheduled to attend to promote the AEW Fight Forever video game. There has been no word on whether they have been removed from the convention.
AEW Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer Megha Parekh was present for the All Out incident, according to multiple sources. Parekh entered Punk’s locker room with The Bucks, according to Bryan Alvarez.
It is expected that once the third-party investigation is completed, there will be confirmation on suspensions and/or departures. According to a new report from PWInsider, “100% a third-party legal firm” is taking statements from those who entered Punk’s locker room on Sunday night.
