“They are actually children”, “Pepsi Phil fans in shambles” – Fans mixed after The Elite seemingly poke fun at CM Punk after his firing

A few days ago, Tony Khan confirmed that CM Punk was no longer part of AEW. This followed Punk's backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In. The Elite are known to have had issues with The Second City Saint in the past, and they wasted little time in slyly poking fun at the recently-fired star.

On the most recent episode of Being The Elite, the faction's YouTube series, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks can be seen taking subtle jabs at their former coworker.

Firstly, Omega is seen drinking Pepsi before visibly showing his disgust towards the drink. CM Punk has incorporated the Pepsi brand into his wrestling persona and even has a tattoo of the famous logo. However, according to The Elite's close associate Brandon Cutler, The Cleaner wasn't drinking Pepsi but rather sipping from an ordinary "water bottle with electrolytes."

The camera then cuts to show Matt and Nick Jackson enjoying a massive selection of deep-dish pizza, a staple in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago.

These references, coupled with the timing of them, have prompted fans to share their responses to the clip. Some thought this dig by The Elite was "unprofessional" and unbecoming of people in their position within AEW. However, others have sided with the former Trios Champions.

While the group was probably just having a bit of fun at Punk's expense, it is hard to ignore the shots that were taken here. More so, The Elite certainly knew that this stunt would grab people's attention, and judging by the reactions they garnered, this proves to be correct.

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Another star parts ways with AEW after CM Punk

While CM Punk's departure from AEW made headlines around the world, another star was quietly removed from the roster. Sonny Kiss' deal with the promotion recently expired, and Tony Khan addressed why the 29-year-old's contract was not renewed:

"I think I’ve done a lot to really keep the locker room stable and I have a lot of people that I not only keep under contract, but also I’ve done well to not do major mass layoffs and let 20-30 people go at a time. But I do think I can’t renew every single contract in AEW, it would be impossible, and with such a big roster and a limited amount of TV spots, I think Sonny Kiss is a great wrestler, and had a lot of potential from the very beginning of AEW, and still has a lot of potential as a wrestler, and I really like Sonny Kiss. I think Sonny Kiss could certainly be back potentially too. We’ve seen wrestlers go on and do some exciting stuff and come back, like Stu Grayson for example. So you never know what the future holds for Sonny Kiss or AEW." [H/T WrestleTalk]

While the door is seemingly open for Sonny Kiss to return at some point, it seems unlikely that the same can be said for CM Punk. However, this is the wrestling business, so never say never.