Tony Khan appeared on Tuesday’s episode of the Ariel Helwani Show, where he was asked about airing footage of CM Punk’s backstage incident with Jack Perry at All Out 2023. Helwani asked if AEW’s decision to air the security footage was a response to Punk describing the incident during an April 2024 interview with Helwani. Khan said that he didn’t exactly agree with how Punk framed things while speaking to Helwani.He felt that airing the footage was the right call for AEW’s presentation and reflected the reality of what the cameras had recorded.
“I didn’t necessarily agree with the description of how it all happened,” Khan said while acknowledging Helwani’s reporting. Looking back on the choice to broadcast the material, he added that the decision aligned with AEW’s direction. “I think the tape spoke for itself, and I think that I didn’t agree with how it happened, and obviously it was a major part of why things were no longer able to continue with us, even though I would have liked to have been able to… It was clear when we started doing Collision, I wanted to reconcile and find a way to still do those things. And I guess that wasn’t possible. I wanted to find a way for everybody to be able to work together, and that didn’t work, and that’s okay. It seems like everybody’s happier and doing better right now. I know in AEW right now, everybody’s really happy, and it feels like this is the best the locker room’s been since the Jacksonville lockdown days.”
CM Punk made his surprise return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames in November 2023, two months after his termination from AEW. His time with AEW, which lasted from 2021 to 2023, included a celebrated debut, a successful two-time run as AEW World Champion, and several big feuds.
