AEW Suspends CM Punk and Jack Perry Amidst Backstage Tension

During the All In pre-show bout between Jack Perry and HOOK, Perry turned to the camera and uttered, "It's real glass, cry me a river." These comments seemed to directly allude to a prior disagreement he had with CM Punk on an earlier Collision episode. The dispute revolved around Perry's desire to use real glass during a spot, something CM Punk opposed.

The atmosphere backstage post-match was tense. After Perry lost the FTW Championship to HOOK, conflicting reports suggest an ensuing clash between him and CM Punk. Perry was reportedly escorted out of the venue, while Punk went on to defeat Samoa Joe in the first match of the the event. After his match, Punk met with security and voluntarily left Wembley Stadium, feeling it was in everyone's best interest.

Tony Khan, President of AEW, hinted at the conflict in a post-show press briefing but remained tight-lipped, only confirming that an internal inquiry was underway.

The timing of this incident is noteworthy, coming just before AEW's return to CM Punk's native Chicago for the All Out event on September 3rd. A recent update from Bryan Alvarez indicates that both Punk and Perry could be sidelined for the upcoming show, pending the outcome of the ongoing internal investigation.

“The belief within AEW is that Punk and Jack are both suspended pending the results of an investigation, which would mean neither will work All Out.”

The belief within AEW is that Punk and Jack are both suspended pending the results of an investigation, which would mean neither will work All Out.

— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) August 28, 2023