Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.
This week, Dallas Allsopp, Greg Coleman and Robert DeFelice discuss The Fallout of All Out. An event that should have been lauded as a success has been tainted by the actions of those who should really know better. But who is really to blame?
Question 1: What did you think of CM Punk's outbursts during the All Out media scrum? Do you support his views?
ALLSOPP: The more I rewatch the media scrum, the more I feel ashamed. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand why he may have felt justified in his rant, but it leaves such a black eye on AEW that any benefit to the company from a decent All Out show has been wasted. AEW feels like a joke, as such unprofessional behaviour would never take place in WWE. I don't support his views, especially when the company looks bad in the process.
COLEMAN: Regardless of how CM Punk feels he had been wronged by The Elite and Hangman Adam Page during his tenure in AEW, what Punk did at that media scrum after All Out was selfish and unprofessional. Punk is dead wrong for how he chose to handle that situation. Now, if The Young Bucks were leaking information about him to defame him and smear him, shame on them! However, according to multiple respected members of pro wrestling media, The Bucks never said anything to them about Punk getting Colt Cabana fired from AEW, so now he looks even worse. And not excusing it but it’s a big difference between airing grievances behind closed doors than airing them for the world to see. The Curtain Call was an issue not because the Kliq were friends, it’s because they displayed their friendship to the public!
The promo in question that Punk feels Page crossed the line occurred before Double or Nothing in May. I repeat: the promo occurred in MAY! The fact that Punk sat for 3 months when he could’ve made a phone call or scheduled a sit down with Hangman Page but chose not and instead chose to go scorched earth after AEW’s biggest show of the year is unacceptable, regardless of what Jim Cornette says. If a person working in sales felt slighted by their boss over something the boss said 3 months ago, and instead of addressing it in private or escalating the complaint to his boss’s boss, decided to wait until he was the lead presenter at a yearly shareholder meeting to air his grievances with his boss, would that person be right? Would that person still have a job? And it doesn’t seem real to me that the man who dropped The Pipe Bomb where he called out The Rock and John Cena for being kiss asses would be that upset about Hangman’s promo, but here we are.
Nevermind the fact that Punk had just won back the AEW World Championship, and MJF finally returned to set up AEW’s next big title program. Instead of starting to build Punk vs MJF III, he chose to use that time and that platform to demean The Elite and Hangman Page. A man who can speak to an audience of millions not being able to speak 4 men is mind boggling. Backstage disputes and issues have happened in every wrestling promotion since pro wrestling was a business. We’ve heard about a lot of them and some we haven’t heard about. The main and biggest difference between those incidents and what Punk did in the media scrum is that I can go pull up video of Punk doing what he did. Video that will live forever. Terrible look for such a great wrestler.
As far as supporting his views, if he feels wronged he’s entitled to express himself but time, place, and manner of expression matter. Punk chose wrong in all three of those areas.
DeFELICE: My position on the comments made by CM Punk at the media scrum, as neutral as they may be, are that they came from a man that is full of hurt and frustration. I'm sure there maybe some regret on his part but I don't feel okay about judging him when it's very clear that his comments came from a very emotional place and who among us hasn't gotten overly personal when talking about a fractured relationship from a place of hurt? I feel as though to suggest I am for, or against, anything he said would that be right as we simply don't know any of the facts regarding the initial situation that set this situation off back in May.
Question 2: Does AEW have a discipline problem backstage? Will the reported backstage fight have long term consequences for current and future sponsors?
COLEMAN: I think AEW has a cultural problem backstage, and a lot of that starts at the very top with Tony Khan. He’s created an environment where everyone can be them and pretty much do as they please in so long as they honor the terms of their contract as it pertains to working in other promotions, Twitch, etc. The issue becomes when you have a person that wants to take even more than what they’re already given. At that point, leadership has to be ready to effectively punish the guilty party to send a message that this kind of behavior won’t be allowed.
I don’t know Khan personally, but he doesn’t really strike me as disciplinarian, which isn’t a bad thing. However, it would be beneficial if he had someone on his team that was. If there is no structure or order there will be chaos and the last thing you can have as a business is an environment where the inmates run the asylum. As bad as Shawn Michaels was in the mid-90s based on several credible witness accounts, even he didn’t do what Punk did on a major public stage. I do wonder how WWE would’ve handled that media scrum. I can’t imagine Vince McMahon or Stephanie McMahon just sitting there like Khan did but I could be wrong.
I don’t believe this one incident will cost AEW long term as far as sponsors go. It didn’t happen on national television, so those outside of the pro wrestling ecosystem are oblivious to it. Now if Punk’s rant kicked off Dynamite, that would be an entirely different situation.
DeFELICE: I don't know if it's a discipline problem. Many individuals involved in this altercation were suspended, including many that we're not even sure what their involvement in the backstage fight was. However, perception is reality end the perception around this company right now is that they are an absolute mess. That is something they need to work on. It appears that even before the situation, they were doing more to restructure the backstage culture of the company and I can only hope that what happened after All Out was just a bump in the road and not a sign of things to come.
There could be an issue down the line with sponsors, but I highly doubt it. This is very much an in-house issue.
ALLSOPP: As Greg says, AEW clearly has a cultural problem. It is clear that Tony Khan has not had a grip of the discipline with certain wrestlers for a while now. That much was evident when he never shut down CM Punk during the media scrum, and almost seemed to sink into his seat. Vince McMahon would never have done that. As too would Triple H be too much of a disciplinarian to allow that shit. If I was a sponsor, I'd be concerned that so called EVP's have contributed to a situation that resulted in their suspension, not to mention the supposed legal ramifications.
Question 3: Should anyone be punished with dismissal as a result of the backstage fight? Can they ever be trusted to work a future programme together?
DeFELICE: The prevailing belief is still that CM Punk’s status with the company is up in the air. He is currently injured and in need of surgery. there is also the matter of a third-party investigation that relates to this incident. I don't think anyone should be fired. I honestly believe that they should find a way to let bygones be bygones and turn this into business. However, if they are beyond that, then I hope that whatever solution comes about, it brings peace to all involved.
ALLSOPP: I'm going to be brief with my opinion here - all involved should have their contracts terminated. In most other industries, this would be an automatic dismissal. In order to set a positive precedent and deter future issues, there needs to be consequences. Especially as I wouldn't trust either party to safely compete against the other. This is a business that relies on trust and safety.
COLEMAN: Everyone involved should at bare minimum be suspended, if for no other reason than to let everyone cool off. If the accounts of the violence are true on CM Punk and Ace Steele’s part and it wasn’t in self-defense, Steele definitely has to go and Punk should be at the bare minimum suspended indefinitely, fined, and stripped of his title with possible termination, especially if Punk refuses to apologize or make amends. If the accounts are true that The Elite kicked in Punk’s door to confront him, they should be suspended, fined, and be removed from the position of EVP. Tony Khan’s biggest concern now is effectively punishing the guilty parties to the point that no other talent or staff tries this again.
Edge worked with Matt Hardy after the whole Lita situation. Bret Hart worked with Shawn Michaels after all of their drama, even though Vince ultimately chose Michaels over Hart, and Hart ended up spitting on him and knocking him silly. Anything is possible, but Punk said it’s past the point of apologies so I’m not sure there is anything left to salvage. Also I believe the benefit of the doubt would be gone if Punk works Kenny Omega and Omega lands V-Trigger a little stiffer than he intended or if Punk hits Omega a little too hard with the GTS. In order to work together well in a wrestling ring trust has to be there between both men/women. I don’t see Punk trusting The Elite and Hangman Adam Page anytime soon and vice versa.
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
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