AEW Members Suspended After 'All Out' Altercation

[Liz]

The All Out press conference revealed one of the dirtiest secrets in pro wrestling. From time to time, what happens behind the curtain is more fascinating than what takes place in the ring.

That was the case as Sunday night moved to Monday morning. CM Punk spoke at the post-match press conference and took a flamethrower to the AEW locker room, laying into fellow wrestlers, specifically Hangman Page, the company's Executive Vice Presidents–who are Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks' Matt and Nick Jackson–as well as Colt Cabana. The focus of the press conference should have been on the stunning return of MJF, but that major plot line became nearly non-existent as Punk went entirely off-script in his critiques.

Once Punk exited the press room, he exchanged words in a locker room with Omega and the Bucks, which led to a physical altercation. Punishment for that backstage fight, Sports Illustrated has learned, will include suspensions for every person involved. The list of those receiving suspensions includes Omega, Matt and Nick Jackson, Pat Buck, Christopher Daniels, Michael Nakazawa, and Brandon Cutler. Multiple sources have shared that Punk and Ace Steel will either be among those suspended, or will no longer be with the company by the end of Wednesday. Punk met with Khan on Tuesday, so the two had an opportunity to discuss how that exit could be handled.

Per sources, an external third-party investigation will be conducted to examine what transpired. Page had already left the building, Sports Illustrated learned, which explains his absence from the altercation.

Punk's fury was ignited during the press conference when he made mention of former friend Cabana. Rumors have circulated that Punk had Cabana moved to Ring of Honor, and Punk clearly believes that they emanated from leaks within the company, possibly even from Omega and the Bucks. Punk vehemently denied involvement in any facet of Cabana's career, and that topic of discussion set him off.

All this occurred at the press conference where Punk sat beside AEW owner Tony Khan. It was an awkward, uncomfortable, and unprofessional scene. Punk is AEW world champion, which adds another layer to this conundrum. The Bucks and Omega are the inaugural world trios champions.

Remarkably, there could still be a positive outcome if Punk and FTR engage in a heated feud with Omega and the Bucks. Punk mentioned to Sports Illustrated two weeks ago that he is in AEW to sell tickets and drive ratings. Real-life strife sells in this industry, especially when harnessed in the right manner–but sources from close to AEW indicated a storyline is not going to come out of this situation.

Khan is CEO, GM, and head of creative. This incident highlights AEW's major need to delegate. Overseeing a wrestling company is not a one-man show, and not even Vince McMahon at the peak of his power in WWE ever pretended to be that. McMahon surrounded himself with the best minds in wrestling and put them in key roles, as with Pat Patterson, Jim Ross, Jim Barnett, JJ Dillon, Gorilla Monsoon, and Arnold Skaaland. While he signed off on all major decisions, it was never just McMahon behind the scenes managing it all. Yes, McMahon may have been the one to receive the praise and recognition, but WWE's success under his leadership was the result of a wide range of contributions. AEW's lack of experience in executive leadership plays a role in these issues. The company possesses a first-rate, world-class roster, yet far less experience in the front office.

WWE also plays a role in all of this. As Khan noted during the press conference, All Out did well commercially, but not to the point where it set any company records. That is largely because WWE strategically ran a must-see event the day before in Clash at the Castle, as well as an NXT special in War of the Worlds only hours before AEW started its All Out pay-per-view.

For WWE, that All Out press conference will undoubtedly be used by newly appointed Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque as their newest recruitment play. Levesque is following a wrestling blueprint created by McMahon in the 1980's. While McMahon had distanced himself from it, Levesque is back to signing all the top available talent.

Under Levesque, there is a robust new wave of recruitment. What happens if multiple talent in AEW attempt to leverage their releases? That could be very destabilizing, meaning it will likely be a point of emphasis from WWE. AEW built so much of their brand as a contrast to McMahon's poor booking and lackluster presentation of beloved talent. Yet that is now evolving, as WWE has quickly strengthened its storylines since Levesque took control of creative.

In the shadow of all this are the expiring television rights deals for AEW and WWE. Based on their ratings, AEW should be in a position to receive a significant increase in their rights fees when the current deal with WarnerBrothers/Discovery expires at the end of 2024. But WarnerMedia merged with Discovery, Inc., forming Warner Bros. Discovery, and the marketplace is unsure of their current strategy, creating question marks around AEW's future. WWE also has a need for new network rights deals, as existing agreements with NBCUniversal and Fox only run through the end of September in 2024. Weakening AEW while further solidifying their own brand is, undoubtedly, WWE's objective.

For AEW, this is the wrong time for chaos. The company needs to tighten up its internal affairs, as the pro wrestling industry is a far stronger place with two major companies instead of one overwhelming monopoly.