More on CM Punk’s Firing from AEW – Rumored Dropped Meeting with Elite, Ace Steel Update, Tony Khan, WBD, WWE Return Interest

As noted before, CM Punk’s contract with AEW was terminated with cause this past Saturday following AEW’s investigation into Punk’s backstage incident with Jack Perry at last week’s All In event at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Fightful Select reported that their sources provided several new details regarding CM Punk’s firing from AEW and his situation with the Elite prior to it.

In regards to a recent report from Haus of Wrestling about a planned meeting between Punk and The Elite that got cancelled, those spoken to stated that this meeting was something that had been pitched but the stories differ afterwards depending on the side. Those close to Punk reportedly stated that this meeting had been scheduled to take place while those close to the Elite stated that no such thing was agreed upon. It was also reported that Punk and the Young Bucks had a brief interaction in London but this did not lead to anything notable. Punk reportedly was frustrated that the Elite were still no open to talking to him.

In regards to Ace Steel’s current status in AEW, it was reported that Steel’s employment status is currently not known to have been affected by Punk’s firing. Steel reportedly is still under contract with AEW until September of 2024 as an off-site consultant and producer.

It was reported that AEW officials did hold a meeting with talent prior to this past Saturday’s Collision show in Chicago, Illinois involving talent being informed about Punk’s firing. It was also reported that not everyone who was in town for All Out 2023 not Starrcast’s Starrcast VI convention was in attendance at this meeting. Those who were absent reportedly were not relayed all of the information from the meeting. Talent reportedly were informed by AEW officials to not speak on the situation on social media.

In regards to AEW’s investigation into the All In backstage incident, it was reported that investigators had held interviews with people throughout the whole week. These interviews reportedly were not only with those who had witnessed the incident at All In but also those who had interacted with Punk throughout his tenure in AEW and several unrelated things as well.

It was reported that while Punk still does have some supporters within AEW, nobody besides those on AEW’s disciplinary committee had knowledge beforehand of the company’s decision for Punk.

In regards to the backstage incident between Punk and AEW CEO Tony Khan, it was reported that those spoken to reportedly stated that Punk had “lunged” at Khan backstage. It was also reported that while the specifics of the interaction between Khan and Punk at All In are currently not known, this was not a single interaction and instead there were multiple interactions throughout the day that were described to be less than pleasant.

In regards to Warner Brothers Discovery, one source spoken to reportedly stated that AEW and WBD officials had held talks this past week about the direction of AEW Collision and ending the “soft” brand split that had been in place to keep the peace within the company. WBD officials reportedly had been told that Punk’s contract with AEW would be terminated before the announcement was made public.

In terms of AEW’s current plans for Collision, it was reported that Bryan Danielson is currently planned to become an integral name for the brand and as Punk’s replacement.

In a follow-up report, Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Punk was open to the idea of potentially returning to WWE following his backstage fight with the Elite at the infamous All Out 2022 backstage incident. Those close to Punk reportedly stated that Punk had strongly considered this idea this past December and was interested in potentially returning to WWE at the following month’s Royal Rumble 2023 event. It was reported that it is currently not believed that WWE had any real interest over this idea nor if AEW was even considering the idea of releasing Punk at the time. Punk’s interest in a WWE return reportedly did make its way to WWE’s locker room and the idea of him being involved in a storyline feud for WrestleMania 39 based on the person who would eliminate him from the Men’s Royal Rumble. Kevin Owen’s name reportedly had been floated around as this potential opponent for Punk.

The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that security at the United Center at this past Sunday’s All Out 2023 event had confiscated signs from fans entering the venue that were Punk related. Meltzer reported that the rumors of security also telling fans to turn their CM Punk shirts inside out was not true and had originated from a security guard who had told fans in a joking matter about it. One person spoken to stated that the line to enter the venue moved very slowly due to security was checking every sign being brought in by fans.