Booker T weighed in on the controversy surrounding the aired footage featuring CM Punk and Jack Perry, expressing skepticism over its significance and questioning whether it warranted termination.
The WWE legend, speaking on his “Hall of Fame” podcast, opined that the footage did little to benefit the recently returned Jack Perry, echoing sentiments shared by Punk himself during an interview on “The MMA Hour.”
“I don’t think that was a fireable offense,” Booker T asserted, reflecting on the incident.
“I don’t know what has been going on behind the scenes with CM Punk and Tony Khan or anything … Because that did not seem like it was anything other than the boys getting into it.
I’ve gotten into it with guys on the roster before, many, many times, and normally, after it happens, they would bring us in and say, ‘Guys, either we’re going to get along or somebody’s going to have to get along.’ One of the two. Then we’d shake hands and get back to work.”
Acknowledging the necessity of professionalism in the industry, Booker T emphasized the obligation to collaborate with colleagues, even in the absence of personal affinity.
He also criticized the decision to separate the parties involved in the backstage altercation, including CM Punk, the Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega, into different shows, deeming it a strategic misstep.
“I think that may have made the problem even worse because CM Punk was taken off the biggest show that they have and put on the Saturday show,” he remarked.
“Nobody was really watching, and then you expect that CM Punk was going to actually draw all the numbers for that show. If the number was bad, who was going to get the blame for it?”
The storyline stemming from the aired footage reached its conclusion at AEW Dynasty, as Perry intervened to aid The Young Bucks in securing the AEW tag team titles from FTR.
