New accounts and details are being revealed on the backstage altercation after AEW All Out on Sunday, which came after AEW World Champion CM Punk went on a heated tirade against “Hangman” Adam Page, Colt Cabana, and the AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, who became the inaugural AEW World Trios Champions at All Out, the same night Punk defeated Jon Moxley to become a two-time AEW World Champion.
As we’ve noted, the situation was described as a “melee” and AEW Producer Ace Steel was there with his longtime friend/student, Punk. The altercation began when The Bucks confronted Punk about his scrum comments, and things then got physical when Punk threw punches to Matt Jackson. There were rumors of Nick Jackson getting “knocked out” during the altercation, and rumors on Nick and Matt sporting cuts/bruises on Monday. Steel then reportedly threw a chair that hit Nick in the eye, and this “knocked out” or “rocked” Nick. Steel also allegedly bit Omega and grabbed his hair. The situation between Steel and Omega was described as a “tussle” but it escalated to where Steel bit Omega and pulled his hair. It was later reported that Steel “shoot cracked Nick with a chair” and that Steel had major heat on him, with many people believing he will be done with the company over the incident. AEW President Tony Khan was not fully notified of the entire incident until after he finished speaking with other talents at the scrum, and he was not present for any part of the backstage incident. There’s been a lot of talk about how Khan recently set a precedent by suspending Eddie Kingston for his incident with Sammy Guevara, and how he almost has to suspend all or some of the parties involved with Sunday’s incident. You can click here for our previous report with more details, including backstage talk on what happened, who was to blame, why there is some sympathy for MJF, and lots more.
In an update, a new report from Fightful Select notes that they were able to confirm with sources that Steel bit Omega, Punk threw punches, and a chair hit Nick in the eye. However, there are conflicting views on how everything started. Below are more details on what went down:
* The altercation went on for “about six minutes” with Brandon Cutler, AEW Producer Pat Buck and AEW Talent Relations Head Christopher Daniels among those trying to diffuse the situation
* Regarding the Punk/Steel side of the story, it was said that after Punk’s appearance in the scrum, The Young Bucks approached Punk’s locker room, and Punk wasn’t answering the door after working a long match, bloodied, and he’d just finished with an emotional scrum. The Bucks reportedly pounded on the door, with some claiming that they “kicked the door down.” We noted before how Steel’s wife was in Punk’s locker room as she was watching his dog earlier in the night. Steel told people that his wife being in the vicinity of the incident is what set him off and made him go ballistic, throwing chairs and biting Omega. The claim from Steel was that he was looking out for his wife above anything else. Omega reportedly did not seem nearly as upset initially, but things got out of hand and he ended up getting bit by Steel. The physical altercation was described as “very long” but as noted, another source put it at six minutes. It was also said that the back & forth talk did not stop after the brawl. It should be noted that these details just mentioned are from one side of the story
* Some believe Punk should’ve been confronted over the things he said during the scrum, while another person said Omega and The Bucks aggressively approached Punk’s locker room in what Punk could have construed as a 3-on-1 attack
* Many people are not in favor of the way Punk handled things at all on Sunday night. Even talents that would usually back Punk up either said that’s not what they would have done, or they are not commenting on the record. Several longtime AEW wrestlers are saying they don’t understand how Punk could not be let go after this
* Regarding the conflicting reports on the start of the physical altercation, it was noted on Wrestling Observer Radio how there is no dispute that Punk punched Matt multiple times, and that Steel threw the chair at Nick, then bit Omega and pulled his hair. However, there is one side that claims Punk threw the first punch when The Bucks came into the room where the brawl broke out, while the other side claims The Bucks were the aggressors, and Punk and Steel were just defending themselves. It was also said that the parties involved are not allowed to talk due to pending legal issues, but in talking to neutral parties, all but one person had the same account of what happened. There was a small number of people in the room at first, and then a large number of people present when the fight broke out. Those who witnessed what happened will have to talk to AEW officials and legal regarding what happened, if they haven’t already. It was also speculated that if something happens to Steel, then Punk will want to walk because that’s his longtime friend and original trainer
* There’s a lot of uncertainty over Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite from Buffalo with several wrestlers unsure of their creative for the show
* We noted before at this link how Punk took somewhat of a shot at MJF during the media scrum, with Khan also weighing in. Word from AEW is that there was no sign of heat between MJF and Punk before Punk made his comments on Sunday night
* There are rampant rumors on Steel and Punk both being done with AEW, but people close to the two say they have not been informed of any departures yet. Many on the AEW roster believe that if Punk and Steel are not let go, heavy amends will need to be made
* It’s been rumored that police were involved at some point. We noted before how there was talk of potential legal ramifications for those involved, and how one source said Steel is lucky he wasn’t in jail. There were people being tight-lipped about the incident in part due to potential legal issues.
The Hoffman Estates Police Department said in a statement, “Hoffman States Police Department does not have any police reports, nor any documentation that police were requested, during AEW All Out event for anything that allegedly occurred backstage. The only police response at the event was regarding a family issue in the audience.”
For those who missed it, you can click here for details on Punk suffering an injury at All Out.
Below is a clip of the security guard rushing to deal with the incident backstage on Sunday, along with the full scrum and the clip of Chris Jericho informing Khan of the incident:
When Jericho finished his scrum, he said to TK "Some shit went down" pic.twitter.com/HKvI5Ey5Wz
— Son Of A Glitch (@Andy_TGL2) September 5, 2022
I found the part of the security homie running out of the scrum. pic.twitter.com/8rxAeUilSj
— Righteous Reg (@RighteousReg) September 5, 2022
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