AEW's Tony Khan Reflects On CM Punk Situation 2 Years Later

The tale of CM Punk in AEW will be one that wrestling fans will talk about for many years to come as it seems no one will ever truly know where everything went wrong. AEW President Tony Khan was a big fan of Punk before he joined the company in 2021 and worked hard to keep the current WWE Superstar on his books, but it wasn't meant to be, and the final image of Punk on AEW television was the backstage footage of his fight with Jack Perry airing on "AEW Dynamite." Over two years have passed since Khan fired Punk, and during a recent appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show," Khan opened up about his feelings about Punk, the "Brawl In" footage, and everything in between.

"I didn't necessarily agree with everything that was said [in Punk's 2024 interview with Helwani], but also it's a TV show and [the "Brawl In" footage] did a very strong number," Khan said. "I think that it made sense, and it was a thing that was advertised and it got a lot of attention that did a very strong number, and it's in the eye of the beholder...I think the tape spoke for itself and I think that I didn't agree with how it happen, and obviously it was a major part of why things were no longer able to continue with us. Even though I would have liked to have been able to, and it's clear that I wanted to reconcile and do those things."

Khan went on to say that AEW was doing very well before Punk joined the company and has continued to grow since his dismissal, and even though he wanted to try and make things work by having Punk be the main star of "AEW Collision," having Punk in the company at that time simply wasn't going to be possible.

During CM Punk's interview with Helwani back in April 2024, he stated that Tony Khan was a nice guy, but he wasn't a boss, which he felt was a detriment to AEW as a company. Helwani brought this comment up to Khan to get his thoughts on it, and while the AEW President didn't agree with it, he isn't holding any grudges towards the "Straight Edge Superstar."

"I don't agree with that, but I also think that everybody's entitled to their opinion and that's feedback, and it's fair if that's how he feels. But I didn't agree with the description of the way things played out, and that's okay, and that's all in the eye of the beholder. Just like the whole situation, if you see that the way it came out, it all was in the eye of the beholder and that's okay. I think AEW is doing really well right now, and I'm really happy with what the people on the shows are doing, and it wasn't the first time that he and I disagree about something and it may not ever be the last and that's okay."

Khan rounded off by saying that he feels like everyone is much happier where they are right now, especially in AEW as he claims that the vibe in the locker room is the best it has felt since their time in Daily's Place during the COVID-19 pandemic. He concluded by reiterating that he wanted to bring that 2020 vibe back to the company at the start of the year by bringing everyone backstage closer together, and Khan believes that this is the tightest locker room he has since AEW was founded back in 2019.

Please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.