"That's all Tony had to tell" - WWE veteran on CM Punk and Tony Khan's backstage confrontation (Exclusive)

CM Punk has the wrestling community speaking with his recent comments about his stint in Tony Khan's AEW and controversial exit. Wrestling analysts are discussing Punk's recent interview with Ariel Helwani, and another WWE veteran has discussed the Tony Khan-CM Punk confrontation.

That WWE entity and once WCW Champion is Vince Russo, who spoke about the entire incident and everything coming out on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws:

"CM Punk basically said this, 'Tony Khan had no idea how to handle a situation. He had no idea.' He went to Tony and said, 'You need to do something, because if I do, you are not going to like the way I do it.' And Tony Khan said to him, 'What do you want me to do?' He didn't have a clue how to handle it. Bro, that's all Tony had to tell.. 'Listen, man, I have never been put in that position before, I wasn't ready for it. I was in over my head. Maybe I didn't handle it right this time, but the next time I will,'" he said. [6:00 - 6:37]

As the days go by, more analysis is bound to come out of the interview that Punk gave Ariel.

CM Punk leaving AEW and joining WWE was one of the most infamous incidents in wrestling in the past few years. Punk joined AEW in 2021. There were some rumors of the Voice of the Voiceless having issues with Young Bucks, the EVPs of the Jacksonville-based company.

Things came to a head when Jack Perry and Punk had a backstage scuffle after he refused permission for the latter to use real glass for a spot during AEW Dynamite, something that Perry referenced in his match with HOOK at the Zero Hour of AEW: All In, in 2023 for the FTW Championship. This led to both wrestlers being suspended and Punk left the company to return to WWE, while Perry is now performing with NJPW.

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Tony Khan was earlier lambasted by wrestling veterans over how he handles AEW

CM Punk's sacking is one of the few aspects of Tony Khan's handling of AEW that has made headlines. Time and again, The President of AEW has been called out for various bookings of the Jacksonville-based company, what with him being the Head Booker.

Icons like Eric Bischoff have called out the quality of the matches. Jim Cornette has ripped the safety aspect of the matches that Tony Khan has put up, to shreds. Vince Russo, the former WWE Head Writer has publically asked Khan to give him booking rights for AEW for at least six months.

Cornette was specifically critical of a spot by Darby Allin in which he launched himself from a ladder onto a glass sheet at the 2024 AEW Revolution pay-per-view:

"Here's why I am finished with Darby Allin: because, unlike most of these guys that AEW has j**ed off the indies, he's got some talent and some charisma. He has an appeal. And as we mentioned years ago, before, you know, we found it wasn't going to take place, if you produced him and you brought him along, he could be a dynamic underdog babyface that f***ing sells and blah blah blah, but they have made it so preposterous that nothing can stop him, and the littlest guy just comes back from everything." [14: 41 onwards]

It looks like the CM Punk-Jack Perry controversy hasn't died down as yet.