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The CM Punk AEW World Championship run just can't get off to a run. The first time when he was crowned champion, he would end up suffering an injury just days later and was forced to undergo surgery on his foot. That led to Jon Moxley winning the Interim belt while Punk spent months out on the sidelines.
Punk would climb the AEW mountain once again at All Out by beating Jon Moxley. This time around though, it seems to be backstage drama that has derailed his run in the company. Punk gave an explosive interview in the post-All Out media scrum which allegedly led to a fight between him, alongside Ace Steel, and The Elite in the locker room area.
Now, we wait for the fall-out. Will those involved be suspended? Will Punk end up leaving AEW altogether? There is a lot of intrigue around the situation. There are many fans who believe that it is a work to create buzz, but that theory makes very little sense in this situation.
The Incident Brings Tony Khan's Leadership Into Question
A lot of fans have already questioned Tony Khan and his qualifications to be in the role that he has in AEW. Yes, he is the owner of the company, but he had no prior experience in wrestling before starting AEW, except for watching it as a fan.
There was quite a bit of negativity around his booking in recent times already, as the AEW product had started to fizzle out since the grand success that was the second half of 2021.
Now, this incident brings his leadership into question as well, as he looks like someone who has no control over his most pushed stars. Why would Khan come up with an 'angle' that would make him look bad in the public eye?
It Makes AEW Look Indie And Small Time
This entire situation is a big blot on AEW's attempts to establish themselves as serious competition to the WWE. Can anybody imagine something similar taking place between The Bloodline and Cody Rhodes? The simple answer is no.
Yes, this alleged backstage fight has created a buzz around the company, but it is a completely negative buzz, which makes AEW seem like a small-time indie promotion. It is not a good look for the company, whichever angle you view it from.
The CM Punk Fiasco Takes The Attention Away From All Out
People might have forgotten it in the midst of all this chaos but AEW actually had their biggest event of the year this past Sunday. New champions were crowned, new stars were made, and there were some very good matches as well.
All of that has been overshadowed though by this one alleged backstage fight. Nobody is talking about All Out at the moment or even the upcoming Dynamite. Instead, all eyes are fixed on backstage updates on the situation involving Punk, Steel, Omega, and The Young Bucks.
That is not a good thing for any wrestling company, when fans don't care about your marquee PPV of the year, just an hour after it aired. This is especially true when you are trying to establish yourself as the 'professional wrestling' alternative to WWE's 'Sports Entertainment'.
MJF's Big AEW Return Was Ruined By The Backstage Drama
MJF had a pretty good return at All Out. While him wearing a mask did not make much sense, considering he had already worked out a deal with Khan, it was a good revelation at the end nonetheless, if you chose to overlook the logic holes in the story.
The next few days, all the buzz was supposed to be about MJF and what he would do on Dynamite, after confronting CM Punk at the end of All Out. That story is completely lost in the mix now and MJF has been almost forgotten about amidst the chaos.
The Fight Between CM Punk And The Elite Has No End Goal For It To Be A Work
You would think that any 'work' in wrestling would have a clear end goal. In most cases, a big match in front of a sell out area. This incident, however, does not seem to have any clear end goal. Punk's next opponent was already set in MJF. On the other hand, The Elite were set to start their reign as the inaugural Trios champions.
Why would the two parties get involved with each other under the current circumstances. At best, it could pop a rating or two but not more than that, and that too at the expense of overshadowing every other storyline. People like Dave Meltzer have been adamant that this is not a work and at the moment, it is almost impossible to disagree with him.