Tony Khan has refused to comment on the speculation surrounding CM Punk before praising the former WWE star’s long-time rival MJF.
At AEW All Out CM Punk stood tall at the conclusion of the main event after becoming AEW World Champion for a second time. As the show went off the air, the new champion was confronted by a returning MJF who had guaranteed himself a shot at Punk earlier in the night.
The stage seemed set for another blockbuster match between the two, but then this moment was completely overshadowed by Punk’s comments at the post-show media scrum.
Seated just feet from AEW President Tony Khan, Punk unloaded on Colt Cabana, the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page in an astonishing verbal assault. When the World Champion was finished speaking a brawl broke out backstage with chairs and punches being thrown while Omega was bitten by CM Punk’s long-time friend Ace Steel.
In the aftermath of the incident the AEW World and Trios Championship’s were declared vacant and a number of stars were suspended. While the Bucks, Omega, Punk and Steel remain under sanctions, others involved in attempting to break up the fight have seen their suspensions lifted. An investigation into the chaos that night continues.
Speaking during an appearance on Rock 105.3’s The Show, Tony Khan refused to comment when asked what he was thinking when Punk was speaking at the media scrum. When pressed and asked “what’s going on,” Khan turned his attention to AEW Dynamite Grand Slam.
“What’s going on is, it’s the best show in pro wrestling tomorrow night on TBS. AEW Dynamite Grand Slam”
“Since All Out, it’s been very newsworthy shows and they’ve also been some of our best shows and best ratings. That’s for a reason. AEW has put on some of our best matches. Right now, there is a lot of excitement in the company, not only with all the big championship fights, people are excited about the return of MJF. That’s pretty huge. That’s one of the main things we’re focused on in AEW.”
When asked whether the backstage drama had taken anything away from MJF’s return Khan again refused to comment, instead taking time to praise the Salt of the Earth.
I’m not going to comment again on that, but I will say that MJF’s return has been a massive needle mover for AEW and has generated a ton of interest. Having MJF back on Dynamite has been great. That’s another reason why we’ve seen a great ratings bump. He’s a great star and a huge part of AEW.”
Speaking elsewhere, MJF recently opened up about his relationship with Tony Khan, commenting that it went from “not good to great” following recent contract negotiations.
H/t to Fightful for the transcription.