“Wasn’t Lying”: CM Punk Absolved of Blame After All In Footage Aired by Tony Khan on Dynamite, Claims WWE Legend

August 2023 saw one of AEW’s biggest PPV event: AEW All In come to fruition. The show had a paid attendance record of 81,035 at Wembley Stadium in London. These were big numbers for Tony Khan‘s baby, mostly due to CM Punk. However, a backstage altercation at the show resulted in Punk’s termination from the company. While there were rumors of what happened between him and Jack Perry, video footage finally came to light

Prior to the footage being shown, Khan and many others deemed the Chicago native responsible for instigating it. However, one former WWE legend now claims Punk was right.

Bully Ray reviews AEW All In footage between CM Punk and Jack Perry

During Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite episode, The Young Bucks aired the backstage footage between Punk and Perry. This came after the Second City Saint appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour podcast. Punk didn’t hesitate to reveal major backstage issues with Khan’s management. This could’ve been a retort, as it was never shown before. However, it backfired. On the latest episode of the Busted Open podcast, Bully Ray touched upon this reveal by AEW. Reviewing the footage, Ray said, “Somebody tell me what the backstage footage accomplished?”

After airing the footage on AEW Dynamite, many fans had the same question. While it was done to portray Punk negatively after his podcast interview, fans could not see a fault in the current WWE star’s actions. Ray added, “So Punk wasn’t lying about anything.” The former AEW star stated multiple times that it was a minor altercation and nothing serious happened.

The AEW head honcho made the whole altercation out to be Punk’s fault. Moreover, he claimed that his life was at stake. However, Ray also said, “I don’t know how anybody feared for their life in that moment. I don’t know how Tony Khan feared for his life in that moment.” The video clearly showed Punk and Perry getting physical, only to be broken up by officials and Samoa Joe. This led Punk back to the WWE, while Perry wasn’t so lucky. But what exactly was the fallout of this altercation?

The fallout of the backstage altercation

According to CM Punk, once officials separated the two, he told Khan, “This place is a f**king joke man. You’re a clown. I quit.” This led to an investigation, and the Second City Saint was terminated from the company. However, this had a silver lining: he would return to the WWE at Survivor Series the same year. Despite being sidelined at the moment, the former AEW star has sparked a rejuvenation with his feuds against Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins in the future earmarked to be a major milestone for all parties.

Following the altercation, Khan suspended Perry indefinitely. Perry would debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 13, 2024, at Battle in the Valley. He is yet to make his return to AEW. What do you think about the footage? Was Punk wrong? Do you agree with Bully Ray’s take on the whole situation? Tell us in the comments.

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