As of the latest update, CM Punk is expected to be departing All Elite Wrestling amidst rumours of a contract buyout. A non-compete clause is said to only be required should Punk be interested in returning to WWE, given that only AEW and WWE could afford the asking price of the multi-time World Champion.
The public perception of CM Punk quickly soured once reports emerged of what, exactly, had transpired in the aftermath of the AEW All Out media scrum. Punk is believed to have been the aggressor in an altercation involving him, Ace Steel, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks that got severely out of hand, leading to all involved being suspended.
Jim Cornette Blames The Elite For CM Punk Leaving AEW
Speaking on the latest Jim Cornette Experience podcast, Jim Cornette slammed AEW’s “nursery”, referencing Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. According to the acclaimed wrestling personality, The Elite is to blame for CM Punk seemingly being on his way out of AEW, labelling them as having “p*ssed off” Punk:
“Apparently now the information has trickled out, or dripped out, or trickled down and dripped or whatever the case, that [CM] Punk and AEW are negotiating, potentially, this has not been confirmed. We haven’t seen documentation of this, but that’s the story going around. Punk and AEW are working on a contract buyout, and that the hold-up is a non-compete clause.
So the one good thing that has happened to this company over the last year, they get a major star, he produces ratings, he produces gates, he produces good television, he produces good matches, and Tony Khan cannot keep his f*cking nursery school from f*cking up this goddamn deal and p*ssing off his star.
And now instead of telling Twinkle Toes [Kenny Omega] and The Cucamonga Kids [The Young Bucks], ‘Hey, why don’t y’all go back and play with your f*cking school girlfriends in Japan? Because I need real talent because I’m in a promotional war and my ship is taking on water.’
Now he’s going to talk to Punk about a buyout. Does that mean he’s going to bring the other three back? Or will he buy Punk out and just fire the other three for putting him in this position to spin probably a few million dollars at minimum to never have his biggest star on his television again?”
Per recent reports, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks could be on the verge of a return to AEW programming. Fightful Select reported that they are planned for an “imminent” comeback to the company, having been backstage during the October 26 AEW Dynamite. This marked their first time at AEW television since the aforementioned incident.
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and link back to this article with a H/T to Inside The Ropes.