Report: Backstage Talk About AEW & CM Punk Paints A Dire Picture

The last several days have seen a whirlwind of controversy swirling around the backstage environment in AEW, with last year's conflict between CM Punk and The Elite back in the spotlight. According to the latest "Wrestling Observer Radio," the situation behind the scenes in AEW may be a powder keg waiting to be lit.

"I [spoke to] two people in the last two days that are not names that anybody would come up with in this discussion, [and they] basically told me that this thing's gonna be a giant explosion," Dave Meltzer said regarding the backstage friction. "It's gonna be terrible. It's gonna really hurt the company unless this thing is nipped in the bud right now."

According to Meltzer, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, as well as CM Punk, have all agreed to publicly stay quiet about one another. However, "Hangman" Adam Page was not a part of that agreement. Following "AEW Collision" this past Saturday, Punk made a number of insulting statements about Page to the crowd, garnering a negative response in return. Punk reportedly soon realized his words came off poorly and sent a text message to Page apologizing for the comments.

In the 24 hours after Punk's post-show promo, stories began to emerge about talent who had been booked for "Collision" only to be sent away or have their travel plans canceled, including Page, Ryan Nemeth, Christopher Daniels, and Matt Hardy. Sources close to Punk acknowledged that he had Nemeth and Daniels kept away from "Collision" tapings, but it has been claimed Punk had no knowledge of Page's planned pre-tape at "Collision" or why it was moved to another location.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.