Phil Brooks — better known as the wrestler CM Punk — has been terminated by All Elite Wrestling, the promotion announced today. In a statement posted to X (formerly known as Twitter), the company explained that the star’s firing follows “a weeklong internal investigation of an incident occurring back stage at AEW — All In London on Sunday, August 27.†The statement goes on to clarify that the AEW Discipline Committee made a “unanimous recommendation to [AEW CEO Tony] Khan that CM Punk be terminated with cause.†The sudden firing came a day before AEW’s All Out pay-per-view, set to air live from Punk’s hometown of Chicago, at which many fans had expected him to appear.
Punk had just returned in June from a nine-month suspension over a backstage brawl that occurred after AEW’s All Out in September 2022, with reports of backstage tension increasing almost immediately. First, it was reported by the Wrestling Observer that he’d had Ryan Nemeth removed from a booked spot on AEW’s Saturday-night show Collision over something he’d tweeted about Punk, citing a desire to keep the show “drama free.†There were also rumors he’d had wrestlers Matt Hardy, “Hangman†Adam Page, and AEW’s head of talent relations Christopher Daniels removed as well, though his camp disputed the claims about Page and Hardy. This past Sunday, he was again involved in an altercation backstage at the company’s show in London — this time with Jack “Jungle Boy†Perry.
Sources told Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez that Perry made a comment to camera about using real glass in a stunt during his preshow match, to which Punk took offense. When Perry came backstage after the match, Punk — who was slated to wrestle Samoa Joe in the main-show opener to follow—confronted him about the comment. According to Alvarez, Punk asked Perry, “Do you have a problem with me?†to which Perry replied, “You heard what I said out there.†At this, Punk told Perry, “You know I could beat your ass, right?†before allegedly shoving him and putting him in a headlock. The fight was immediately broken up by bystanders, but not before Alvarez reports that monitors were actually knocked over onto AEW CEO Tony Khan himself.
In the company’s announcement today, Khan included his own statement:
Phil played an important role within AEW and I thank him for his contributions. The termination of his AEW contracts with cause is ultimately my decision, and mine alone. Of course, I wish I didn’t have to share this news, which may come as a disappointment to many of our fans. Nevertheless, I am making the decision in the best interests of the many amazing people who make AEW possible every week — our talent, staff, venue operators and many others whose efforts are unsung but essential to bringing our fans great shows on television and at arenas and stadiums throughout the world.
Khan also addressed the “regrettable†incident when he opened AEW Collision, telling fans that people backstage, including production staff, were put at risk of getting hurt. “I’ve been going to wrestling shows for over 30 years. I’ve been producing them on this network for four years. Never in all that time have I ever felt — until last Sunday — that my security, my safety, my life was in danger at a wrestling show,†he said. “I don’t think anybody should feel that way at work. I don’t think the people I work with should feel that way, and I had to make a very difficult choice today.â€
This post has been updated.