Bryan Danielson Confirms Role On AEW Disciplinary Committee That Fired CM Punk

Last week, a report suggested that Bryan Danielson was part of AEW's disciplinary committee that recommended the firing of CM Punk after his backstage altercation with Jack Perry. The report noted that the committee included Bryan, AEW General Counsel Chris Peck, and an unnamed outside attorney, and their ruling was to get rid of "The Second City Savior" for his actions at All In. Now, Danielson himself has confirmed his involvement in Punk's firing.

"Yeah, I'm a part of the disciplinary committee," Danielson told "Maggie & Perloff." "Clearly, what happened has happened. I'm somebody who ... I like CM Punk. I think he brought a lot to AEW while he was there. But, there's not a lot I can say about it, or that I want to say about it. But, yes, I am part of it." Danielson, however, shot down the notion he spearheaded the process. "Some people say I was the head of the disciplinary committee, and I'm like, listen, there were more than three people involved in this decision, but most of them were all lawyers. To say that I was the head, I don't even have a college degree [laughs]. I'm not in there bossing people around or anything like that."

When asked if it was a difficult decision to fire Punk considering their storied history spanning decades, Danielson responded with an emphatic "Absolutely" before wishing his old friend well in his return to WWE. "I have a lot of empathy," Danielson said. "I'm grateful for the time he was able to spend in AEW. He did a great job for us. I wish him the best in his future, and hope his run [in WWE] goes well." According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW CEO Tony Khan made the final call to fire Punk after consulting with "different sets of people" including the aforementioned committee.