The investigation into AEW’s post-All Out brawl has reportedly ended with The Elite being brought back and CM Punk likely exiting the company.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that AEW’s third-party investigation into the incident was completed last week. With the investigation over, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega were backstage at Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. It’s doubtful that Punk will be returning to AEW, with the two sides working on a buyout of Punk’s contract. In addition to wrestling for AEW, The Young Bucks and Omega are executive vice presidents of the company. This week’s Dynamite was the first time The Young Bucks and Omega have been at an AEW show since being suspended after All Out.
Though The Young Bucks and Omega were backstage at Wednesday’s Dynamite, they didn’t appear on television. A video teasing their imminent return did air on the episode.
The backstage fight between The Elite and Punk took place following AEW’s All Out pay-per-view on Sept. 4. After Punk went off on The Elite at a post-show press conference, The Young Bucks and Omega went to Punk’s locker room to confront him. Punk is said to have thrown the first punch during the fight.
Punk’s camp told Wrestling Inc. that “Punk felt threatened and reacted in a legal way” after being confronted.
The brawl also involved Ace Steel, who was working for AEW as a producer and is a longtime friend of Punk’s. Steel, who reportedly bit Omega during the fight, was released from AEW after the conclusion of the investigation.
Meltzer wrote that “many if not most” of the top names in AEW were saying that they wouldn’t work with Punk after the All Out incident.
“Punk won’t be back,” one unnamed AEW star told Meltzer. “His value on screen isn’t one percent worth the hassle and black cloud he causes backstage.”
Fightful reports that Chris Jericho approached Punk backstage after the All Out fight and told Punk that he’s “a cancer to the locker room, and a detriment to the company.”
Punk, The Young Bucks and Omega were all champions for AEW when their altercation took place. Punk had to vacate the AEW world championship after the incident. The Young Bucks and Omega were stripped of the AEW trios titles.
Punk suffered a torn triceps in the main event of All Out and would have needed to relinquish the AEW world title even if the post-show fight didn’t happen.
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