
CM Punk spoke with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour about what happened with Jack Perry that resulted in his firing from AEW in September 2023.
Here is a transcript of the discussion:
Helwani: Where are you backstage? Jack Perry is on screen and he says, โReal glass. Why donโt you cry about it?โ Where are you when this is said?
Punk: I was in my locker room.
Helwani: Did you feel like that was directed at you? Yes. Why?
Punk: Because it obviously was directed at me.
Helwani: Well, because for those that may not know, apparently, he had a trip planned. He wanted to use glass. You were consulted. You said, โWhy would you use glass?โ Correct me, you lived it. Iโm trying to bring people up to speed.
Punk: This is one of those things where itโs just all these rumors about NDAs. Yes. Thereโs a big difference between not being allowed to talk about some shit or just not wanting to talk about some shit. I donโt necessarily want to litigate this again.
Helwani: You say, again, youโve never talked about it publicly.
Punk: No, I guess I havenโt, but thatโs the thing. Tony [Khan]โs big idea was a separate show. Weโre going to separate everybody. I said, โThatโll never work. Just Let me go. Just get me out of here. Just pay me my money. Iโve already been off TV. I heard this arm. Just get me out of here.โ โNo, I canโt let you go.โ โWhy? Just let me go. Who cares? Itโs best. These guys donโt want me here. This isnโt a real business. This isnโt a business predicated on making money, drawing money, selling tickets, doing business. Itโs not what it was sold to me as. Let me go.โ โNo, I canโt, Iโm going to do this new show. Youโre going to have blah, blah, blah.โ
Then the second day we have this show, Iโm sitting in catering, minding my own business, and Tony Schiavone comes and gets me, and heโs like, โHey, I really need your help.โ I was like, โWhat?โ Heโs like, โJack is cussing me out. Mike Mansury, Daryl from Production and cussing out the Doctor.โ Iโve explained before, โyou all need to handle this Because if you donโt, Iโm going to handle it, and youโre not going to like the way I handle it.โ Prophetic words. So heโs begging me, now please. He drives me out of catering. I go up, Hook and Jack are doing an angleโฆ I walked up to Jack and he was sitting in a car. What he wanted to do, it was a rental car. What he wanted to do was smash the window with a rental car with a pipe.
But to come to this new show when everyoneโs supposed to be separated, to get rid of all the drama, and then swearing at the doctor because the doctorโs like, โitโs real glass. Shitโs going to go in your eye.โ And I get it. I used to be that kid that was young and I want to do this, but thereโs a safe way to do it. And I politely explained that to him. I didnโt raise my voice. I didnโt cuss at him. I very much just said, โWe donโt do that here. This is Saturday. Itโs a different show. If you want to do stuff like this, do it on Wednesday.โ That was it. I didnโt think there was going to be a problem. He obviously took something very business-minded, very personally. And thatโs fine, because Iโve done that before, too. But itโs very much who heโs friends with. Shit never got squashed. Nobodyโs in charge, and it turned into what it turned into.
Helwani: So he says that clearly a shot at you, as you said. Matches over, he goes to the back. What happens?
Punk: I went to Tony [Khan]. I was like, โPlease handle that. Like, Please.โ He was like, โWhat do you want me to do?โ I was like, โIโm not Iโm telling you what to do. Just be the boss, please. Iโm tired of this shit. I told you it was a mistake. I told you separate shows wasnโt going to work, and now weโre all here. Please handle it, because if you donโt, Youโre not going to like the way I handle it.โ
Helwani: Did he handle it? No. So you did? Yes. What happened?
Punk: Jack came back from his match. I was the next match. Iโm sitting there. I got people with me. Iโm not going to say who they are because I got a lot of friends who work there, and I wish them all well, and I donโt want them to be punished because theyโre friends with me. And I walk up to them and Iโm just like, โJack, why do you insist on doing this dumb Internet shit on TV?โ And heโs just like, โWell, if you got a problem about it, do something about it.โ And I was just like, โMan, come on, man. Iโll fucking kill you. What are we doing?โ I thought I was doing a responsible thing. I didnโt punch anybody. I just choked somebody a little bit. Samoa Joe was there, told me to stop, and then I quit. I turned to Tony and I said, โThis place is a fucking joke, man. Youโre a clown. I quit.โ I went to my room, and then Joe and Jerry Lynn came and got me, and theyโre โLetโs just go out there and kill it.โ I was just too fired up, and Iโm fired up now, and Iโm probably going to regret talking about all this shit, but thatโs what happened.
Helwani: Okay, so for those that donโt know, you actually did go out and wrestle? Yes. Is that all just a blur for you, that match? Do you even remember?
Punk: No, that match, I was just like, This is the last time Iโm ever going to wrestle with Samoa Joe. You know what I mean? Yeah. This is my last match in this company. You knew that? Yeah. I quit. I said, I fucking quit.
Helwani: So why did you even go out?
Punk: For Joe. For Joe, for Paul Turner, the referee, for Jerry Lynn, the agent on the match, because I respect him, and I thought it was the professional thing to do. All the fans, a lot of fans there. Probably a lot of them to see me. So just go out there and give them a show.
The discussed turned to the aftermath of All Inโฆ
Helwani: He [Khan] went on air several days later and said heโs never been afraid for his life like this. Been going to shows for 30 years, felt fearful for his life for the safety of the workers. When you saw this, what is your reaction when you see this? Not only was it a promo on TV, but then he also spoke to the crowd. There was a clip that surface of him talking to the people in your town. I believe it was in Chicago, just outside. When you saw that version of the story being put out, what is your reaction?
Punk: I canโt tell you what Tony felt or what he was thinking, but I never did anything that would make him fear for his life. But heโs who he is.
Helwani: Did you feel like your reputation was being slandered?
Punk: Thereโs a concerted effort to, I guess, slander me and try to ruin my character and stuff like that. Thatโs the genesis of all the drama. Donโt do that. Why are you doing that to a guy who works for your company? Why are you lying? Why are you spreading rumors and lies and bullshit about your top guy? It doesnโt make any sense. Youโre only hurting yourself. Iโm trying to dim myโฆ I donโt know. Jealousy, envy, I donโt really know. And again, itโs not really the time to litigate it all and everything, but itโs an unfortunate situation. I have a lot of friends there, and thereโs a lot of good people that work there. I hope they continue to get paid, and I wish them well.
Helwani: How would you describe what itโs like working for Tony?
Punk: Man, itโs a loaded question because I donโt want this to beโฆ I donโt like the drama, but the truth is the truth. Heโs not a boss. Heโs a nice guy. I think ultimately, that is a detriment to the company. But itโs not my company. Iโm an outsider. I thought I was brought in to sell merchandise and tickets and draw numbers for pay-per-views and stuff, and I clearly did that, but thatโs not what the place was about, and some people didnโt like that.
CM Punk went Scorched Earth on AEW and Jack Perry holy shit.
Hereโs 7 minutes of it. pic.twitter.com/8o95nUE35c
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