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CM Punk's 2023 has been riddled with plenty of ups and downs. His latest setback saw him get fired from AEW, but it seems as though the promotion's boss, Tony Khan, was quite upset with having to make this decision.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk podcast, Dutch Mantell discussed CM Punk's firing and Tony Khan's decision to address the matter in front of a disapproving Chicago crowd:
“What ever possessed Tony Khan to get on the stage in Chigaco on the night of the pay-per-view and ramble on for six minutes about basically nothing? I don’t know why they didn’t just put a sign up and say, ‘Hey, he’s been dismissed. He’s been, you know, terminated with cause’ or whatever. But Tony had to go out there on stage.”
Mantell continued, noting that he had heard a rumor of Tony Khan being in tears backstage after addressing the live audience in Chicago:
“I heard that he got, and I don’t know if this is true or not, [...] he went into the back and I heard he had tears in his eyes. Tony, come on, brother. Please. I mean, that’s embarrassing. That embarrasses me.” [From 03:15 to 04:04]
Check out the entire episode below:
Although unconfirmed, it stands to reason that Khan would be rather upset after firing a star that he has said on multiple occasions he is a big fan of. The hostile crowd reaction he received in Chicago almost certainly did not help matters.
Jack Perry issued an indefinite suspension after his incident with CM Punk
CM Punk's role in the backstage altercation at All In two weeks ago might have seen him released from the company, but the same can not be said for Jack Perry, the other party involved in the altercation.
At the post-All Out press scrum one week after the incident, Tony Khan confirmed that Perry had been issued an indefinite suspension while an investigation into the matter is still being conducted.
Many feel the 26-year-old star should have suffered a more severe punishment, considering how he is the one who reportedly started the backstage fight. However, Perry is still as part of the company as it stands, and fans will have to await further updates on the matter as they unfold.
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