Tony Khan and AEW announced on Twitter Saturday that the company has terminated the contract of CM Punk, effective immediately.
Punk’s termination from AEW comes after a week long investigation involving Punk and an altercation he had with Jack Perry, which took place backstage at Wembley Stadium during the AEW All In PPV London.
After being out of the professional wrestling business for since 2014, CM Punk first signed with AEW back in August 2021, making his debut on the second episode of Rampage at the United Center in Chicago, IL. During his time in AEW, Punk won the AEW World Title twice and most recently called himself the “Real AEW World Champion” during most recent run due to never losing the championship after AEW All Out 2022.
Punk was suspended from AEW following All Out 2022 for a backstage fight that involved himself, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and others. He was off AEW programming from September 2022 to June 17, 2023, when he returned on the debut episode of Collision.
Below is the statement from AEW and Tony Khan.
STATEMENT FROM ALL ELITE WRESTLING AND TONY KHAN
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has terminated the wrestler and
employment agreements between Phillip Brooks (CM Punk) and AEW with cause, effective immediately.The termination was confirmed today by Tony Khan, CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative of AEW. The termination follows a weeklong internal investigation of an incident occurring back stage at AEW – All In London on Sunday, August 27. Following the investigation, the AEW Discipline Committee met and later convened with outside legal counsel before making a unanimous recommendation to Khan that CM Punk be terminated with cause.
Khan offered the following statement: “Phil played an important role within AEW and I thank him for his contributions. The termination of his AEW contracts with cause is ultimately my decision, and mine alone. Of course, I wish I didn’t have to share this news, which may come as a disappointment to many of our fans. Nevertheless, I am making the decision in the best interests of the many amazing people who make AEW possible every week – our talent, staff, venue operators and many others whose efforts are unsung but essential to bringing our fans great shows on television and at arenas and stadiums throughout the world.”