Former WWE and AEW Champion CM Punk has been fired from All Elite Wrestling following a physical altercation that took place backstage in August 2023.
AEW shared the news on Twitter/X, saying "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."
Statement from All Elite Wrestling and Tony Khan pic.twitter.com/3MtW6MkGDf
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 2, 2023
"The termination follows a weeklong internal investigation of an incident occurring backstage at AEW - All In London on Sunday, August 27," AEW continued. "Following an 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 then gave his own statement, thanking CM Punk for his contributions to AEW while also saying this decision was his, and his alone.
"Phil played an important role within AEW and I thank him for his contributions," Khan said. "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."
As reported by ESPN, CM Punk reportedly got into a fight with AEW wrestler Jack Perry, and this allegedly wasn't the first time the wrestler had fought with others in the company.
After a match in September 2022, CM Punk reportedly also got into a physical altercation with fellow AEW wrestlers Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and Kenny Omega, who also serve as executive vice presidents at AEW.
CM Punk is a former two-time WWE champion, three-time world heavyweight champion, and two-time AEW champion. He retired from professional wrestling in 2014 when he left the WWE, and returned when he joined AEW in 2021.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/cm-punk-has-been-fired-by-aew-after-a-backstage-altercation