One of the most seismic moments in the annals of professional wrestling occurred when CM Punk made his return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames in late 2023 following his contentious departure from AEW.
In a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, CM Punk delved into various contentious subjects regarding his tenure with AEW, notably addressing his former employer and AEW CEO Tony Khan.
Punk affirmed that his last interaction with Khan occurred backstage at All In at Wembley Stadium, where the former WWE and AEW Champion confronted Jack Perry.
When prompted about his experience working under Tony Khan, “The Best in the World” didn’t mince words about Khan’s managerial approach.
“It’s a complex issue because I prefer to avoid drama, but honesty prevails. He’s not a typical boss; he’s an amiable person, and in my opinion, that’s a drawback for the company, though it’s not my company,”
Punk articulated. “As an outsider, I believed I was brought in to boost merchandise sales, ticket sales, and enhance pay-per-view viewership, and I certainly accomplished that. However, that wasn’t the primary focus of the organization, and some individuals weren’t receptive to that.”
Helwani also probed Punk about Khan’s comments concerning the backstage incident, where the AEW CEO asserted feeling threatened during the altercation at All In.
“I can’t speculate on Tony’s emotions or thoughts, but I can attest that I never engaged in behavior that would warrant him fearing for his safety. However, each person perceives situations differently,”
remarked the WWE luminary.
