Tag: AEW

AEW Dynamite preview 04/10/24: The Young Bucks explain it All (In)

Also on the card for AEW Dynamite in Charleston, Adam Copeland defends his TNT title and Mariah May battles Anna Jay.

Say this about AEW: Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite has both an AEW World Championship title eliminator and a TNT Championship match, and neither is the top talking point ahead of the show. You might have heard about what is …

What will the Young Bucks say about the CM Punk-Jack Perry backstage footage from All In London?

AEW’s decision to show video of the altercation that led to Punk’s firing and Perry’s suspension is intriguing in its own right. All indications are that it’s legit, and Tony Khan is being up front about it, telling SI this week that airing it is a matter of “driving interest for Dynamite and our Dynasty pay-per-view on April 21.”

Almost lost in the shuffle of wondering whether it will make Punk look bad or help Perry return as a monster heel is the fact that the Young Bucks are presenting the footage. Considering that Matthew and Nicholas Jackson are currently playing devious heels that blur the line between their real responsibilities and in-ring ambitions, one can only imagine what they’re going to bring to the whole affair.

It’s almost certain to be a can’t-miss segment.

Will Dustin become the second Rhodes to win a world championship this year?

OK, no one really believes Dustin Rhodes is about to beat the AEW World Champion right now, but the thing about the Natural is that he’s got the knack for making you believe once the bell rings. If he can do it against Samoa Joe, who’s been a monster champ so far, it will be that much more impressive.

Oh, and there’s no way Swerve Strickland just sits back and takes this all in without finding some way to cause some chaos, right? Maybe he finds a way to help Rhodes earn a shot.

AEW Dynamite card for 4/9/24 in Charleston:

  • Samoa Joe vs. Dustin Rhodes – AEW World Championship Eliminator match
  • Adam Copeland (c) vs. Penta El Zero Miedo – TNT Championship match
  • The Young Bucks present backstage footage from All In London and will discuss for the first time
  • Toni Storm hosts a Charleston Championship Champagne Toast
  • Mariah May vs. Anna Jay
  • Hook, Chris Jericho and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

This is certainly a Dynamite that’s going to be discussed and dissected, and you’ll want to tune in at 8 p.m. on TBS or join us back here at Wrestling Junkie for live results so you don’t miss out.

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Jon Moxley at WrestleMania? Tony Khan says WWE didn’t ask

We’ll never know if AEW would have allowed Jon Moxley to make a cameo in the main event of WrestleMania 40.

Among the glorious chaos of the Night 2 main event at WrestleMania 40, one of the more surreal moments was when The Shield’s music hit. The drama built up until Seth Rollins, dressed as he did back when the group was together, entered the ring with a steel chair (though the cameras missed it).

He was immediately decked by a Roman Reigns Superman punch, but it turns out Rollins was there for an important storytelling reason. Given the choice between hitting Rollins or Cody Rhodes with the chair, Reigns smashed Seth across the back as payback for then he turned on his Shield teammates and broke up the group years ago.

That proved costly, as it gave Rhodes the chance to recover and win the match. So everything worked on in logical fashion, and Rhodes was even seen after his victory saying a special thank you to Rollins.

Still, because Rollins had been in a grueling match earlier that night against Drew McIntyre, the first impulse was that he couldn’t possibly be coming to the rescue. Despite every rational reason why it couldn’t work, there was a second or two where many WWE fans thought the same thing: Wait, is Dean Ambrose really coming out here?

The third member of The Shield has been better known in recent years as Jon Moxley and has worked for AEW since 2019. That fact alone would seem to rule out any kind of participation at WWE’s biggest event, but it turns out there’s an even simpler explanation.

As ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley found out directly from AEW CEO, GM and head of creative Tony Khan, “WWE did not reach out to AEW about using Jon Moxley for a one-off appearance.” That’s that.

Whether Khan would have agreed to do it is an interesting “what if.” It almost doesn’t matter in the end, both because Rollins turned out to be the proper person in that spot and because in the moment, it was enough that The Shield’s music made viewers believe Moxley might be coming.

As cool as it would have been to see him, the mere uncertainty worked in WWE’s favor, making for a small but clever wrinkle in what turned out to be a very entertaining match.

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Young Bucks claim they will show All In London backstage footage on 4/10 Dynamite

Is it an angle? Top wrestling insiders say no, so the wrestling world will be looking forward to the next AEW Dynamite.

While the attention of most of the pro wrestling world was elsewhere Saturday night, AEW was still doing its thing, airing a new Collision after the NCAA men’s basketball tournament semifinals. And while it would be easy to dismiss this pre-taped episode as inconsequential, it instead created a wave of discussion and speculation as Saturday faded into Sunday.

It wasn’t a match but a promo for the next episode of Dynamite that set off the buzz. As shown in the graphic above, the Young Bucks apparently will share backstage footage from All In London last summer and “discuss for the first time.”

The events of All In, where a backstage confrontation because CM Punk and Jack Perry eventually led to the former’s firing and the latter’s suspension, became relevant again over the past week. While appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Punk gave his side of the story for the first time, dismissing the idea that he did anything that might make Tony Khan feel threatened — a key claim AEW’s CEO made when explaining his decision to fire Punk.

Do the Bucks actually have video evidence to back up Khan’s assertions? The impulse is to assume this is an angle of some sort, an effort to drum up ratings right after WWE’s biggest event of the year at a time when live attendance for AEW shows has been soft and TV viewership up and down.

Some of pro wrestling’s most well connected insiders say that might not be the case. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful said right away that it was legit, then followed up with a report in Fightful Select (subscription required) citing AEW talent and staff who said they were told footage of the Punk-Perry incident will air.

During AEW Collision Saturday, a graphic ran saying that Young Bucks will present backstage footage from AEW All In, and will discuss for the first time. Many took this as being some sort of troll or bait, but everyone around the situation we’ve spoken to at least claims that it is genuine, and footage from the CM Punk/Jack Perry altercation is expected to air. Specifically, it was reiterated to us by numerous people in AEW that the company isn’t going to falsely promote something, much less like that.

Fightful added that there was “belief that the video was enough for the company to make a clean split without much of an issue or a legal battle.” If true this will be a fascinating watch, though the idea that many minds will change about Punk will change seems unlikely in what is already a very polarized landscape for pro wrestling fans.

Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer also confirmed the plan is to legitimately air the footage.

If nothing else, it grabbed AEW some attention during a time when nearly everyone with an interest in pro wrestling is otherwise engaged with another company’s product, and that’s never a bad thing in the short term. How it plays out Wednesday night is anyone’s guess, but it’s hard to deny the curiosity factor around a move like this.

AEW Dynamite airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

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Is AEW Collision live tonight, 04/06/24?

Find out if and when you need to tune in for AEW Collision tonight on TNT.

AEW Collision has been a Saturday night stalwart since its debut, but AEW knew there would be times that TNT Sports would have obligations to unscripted sports that might force it to change times or be pre-empted altogether.

This weekend is one of those times. It’s the final weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, better known as the Final Four. And TNT just happens to be the home for the semifinal games on Saturday night.

Unlike earlier in the tournament, however, Collision isn’t getting pre-empted altogether. It’s just going on a lot later than normal, after the second semifinal game and a post-game show that should last about 30 minutes.

That means AEW Collision will begin tonight at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET, though that could even slide back later if either of the games goes to overtime. As you may have guessed, it’s also not live: This episode was taped on Wednesday after Dynamite.

This is a one-week deal, however, as Collision will be back on its normal night and time on Saturday, April 13.

There is, of course, some other pretty significant pro wrestling going on tonight. A Showcase of the Immortals, you might say. So you can enjoy that or the basketball and get ready to watch Collison late tonight.

AEW Rampage results 04/05/24: Daniel Garcia’s time to shine

A look at the results of the April 5 episode of AEW Rampage.

While it’s WrestleMania weekend in the United States, AEW takes its action north of the border to London, Ontario, Canada for another edition of Rampage. It squares off with the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.

A packed ROH Supercard of Honor preceded Rampage, and a chaotic episode of Dynamite earlier this week also saw Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland sign the contract to make their AEW World Championship match official. So how will AEW’s Friday show continue the momentum?

Rampage has a stacked lineup with four matches on the card. Malakai Black of House of Block is in action, as well as Roderick Strong taking on a local talent. Additionally, Serena Deeb tries to show why she’s the “Professor” of AEW. And to close out the night, a Four-Way Elimination match pits some of the company’s best up-and-coming talent

Let’s see what this hour of action has in store.

AEW Rampage results from London, Ontario:

  • Malakai Black def. Christopher Daniels by pinfall
  • Roderick Strong introduces the first-ever Roderick Strong International Challenge; he interviews London Lightning, a hometown wrestler; Strong criticizes London’s name and asks him what his chances are in this match; London says his mother is cheering him on from the couch, and his odds of winning are better than Strong’s
  • Roderick Strong def. London Lightning by submission in an Eliminator match
  • Layla Hirsch says while she’s been wrestling in Ring of Honor the past year, she’s back in AEW to prove why she’s legit; she challenges Julia Hart to an Open House Rules match for next week
  • Serena Deeb def. Trish Adora by submission
  • Julia Hart accepts Layla Hirsch’s challenge and warns her that the House always win
  • Saraya says she’s been nothing but great to Ruby Soho; Zak Knight says he promises to take absolutely everything from Angelo Parker next week
  • Daniel Garcia def. Action Andretti, Komander and Bryan Keith in a Four-Way Elimination Match

Cody Rhodes responds to CM Punk’s AEW criticism

Cody Rhodes said he didn’t share CM Punk’s “assessment” of AEW and repeated how proud he was to help build it.

While not on the WrestleMania 40 card, CM Punk became the talk of pro wrestling this week after making a variety of comments on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani about his time in AEW. Nothing was off limits except for the “Brawl Out” NDA he signed. The discussion dove into various topics, including what happened with Jack Perry at All In, Adam Page’s unscripted promo about Punk in 2022, and his desire to depart AEW before his return in June 2023.

Perhaps the harshest comments took aim at Tony Khan and AEW’s management. Punk described AEW as “not a real business” and criticized Khan, stating he’s a nice guy but “not a boss.”

On Wednesday, Cody Rhodes became the next WWE superstar to appear on The MMA Hour and promote WrestleMania. Naturally, Punk’s comments about AEW were brought up. Rhodes didn’t address the Straight Edge Superstar’s opinion of the company directly, but he discussed the pride in what he accomplished there.

That’s his assessment. It is not my assessment. It’s always important for me to remind people that I am so proud of what me, Matt, Nick, Kenny, Tony, Bernie, Brandi, Dana, and Chris, and I name all these people because I was in those meetings. As much as the internet will spin a narrative one way, if one of those people had not been at that startup level, the company would not have happened.

It’s not my assessment. In my time there, the infrastructure was just being built up. We were trying new things, and doing things. It was a startup company, a big-time startup company but a startup company and I wish them nothing but the best.

Helwani also asked Rhodes about Punk’s beef with The Elite, which he attributed to “a ton of misunderstanding, a ton of miscommunication.”

I just think what happened there was a ton of misunderstanding, a ton of miscommunication.

I love Matt, Nick, and Kenny and I love CM Punk. I don’t know how, but I do. I’m just happy for everyone involved. I just think it was a ships in the night thing. I wasn’t there, though.

Rhodes offered the most diplomatic responses possible when tackling these situations. While not non-answers, he addressed these topics and gave some semblance of substance. This story has enough fuel, especially after Adam Copeland’s reference to it on Dynamite, so Rhodes not igniting the fire further is for the best.

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AEW Dynamite results 04/03/24: Swerve signs in blood, Trent betrays Best Friends

AEW Dynamite from Worcester also saw Thunder Rosa become No. 1 contender for Toni Storm.

The funny thing about joining a team is you never know right away if you’re going to be a good fit for it or vice versa. That’s a relevant thought as we head to Worcester, Mass. for AEW Dynamite tonight, because Will Ospreay is fighting another one of his Don Callis Family teammates.

To be fair, Ospreay has rarely done much alongside his other Family members in the first place, what with still being a member of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling roster when he first joined and all. Since he’s arrived in AEW full time, the Aerial Assassin has had just three matches, and two of them were against teammates.

Which would be weird except that this is a group assembled by Don Callis that we’re talking about, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if it turned out he was jealous of Ospreay’s popularity. No one bigger than the team and all that.

As a result, Callis might be hoping Powerhouse Hobbs beats Ospreay tonight. And if he doesn’t, it will be interesting to see what role the Family might play when Ospreay faces Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynasty later this month.

The other big thing on the docket tonight is a contract signing between Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe. These two certainly have turned their program into a nice little powderkeg waiting to ignite, and this might be the spark that lights it.

It’s also fair to wonder if, despite Joe being a worthy champ, whether AEW is ready to push Swerve to the level it feels like he’s earned and let him have a run with the top title.

We’re excited for what this night might have in store from Worcester, so let’s get into it.

AEW Dynamite results from Worcester:

(please scroll down for more details on any segment or match in bold)

  • Adam Copeland tells us why AEW should be celebrated
  • Will Ospreay def. Powerhouse Hobbs by pinfall
  • Ospreay pauses on the ramp and exchanges a look and some words with Bryan Danielson on the way in for his match
  • Bryan Danielson def. Lance Archer by pinfall
  • Renee Paquette welcomes Chris Jericho, who asks Hook to join him so he can clarify that he understands why Hook would be wary about trusting him but wants Hook to believe in him; Hook says he got them a match on Collision but will be keeping his eye on him, and Jericho says he’d expect nothing less … bet

  • Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty reveal they’re the opponents for LionHook on Collision
  • Billy Gunn def. Jay White by DQ as White hits him with a low blow following a distraction from The Gunns; The Acclaimed come to the rescue despite being shown on the big screen having been laid out in the back
  • The Young Bucks and Best Friends (plus Trent’s mom Sue) are shown walking into the building earlier today
  • Paquette talks to Willow Nightingale about her TBS Championship shot at Dynasty, and she thanks the fans for giving her confidence during her career in general and at this time in particular …

  • … Stokely Hathaway is singing her praises as well when he’s interrupted by Mercedes Moné, who makes it clear that she’s up next for whoever walks out of Dynasty as TBS champ

  • Young Bucks def. Best Friends by pinfall in an AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinal, using a catapult into an exposed turnbuckle to help them pull it off …
  • … and after the match, instead of going in for the customary group hug, Trent Beretta hits Orange Cassidy with a flying knee and storms off without his teammates or his mom
  • Thunder Rosa def. Mariah May by pinfall in an AEW Women’s World Championship No. 1 Contenders Match
  • Penta El Zero Miedo says Copeland should defend the TNT Championship against an AEW original next week … namely him
  • Samoa Joe signs in ink, Swerve Strickland signs in blood, but it’s the champ who ends the night standing tall

Adam Copeland circles the wagons nicely for AEW

Even though his mic is sort of messed up and there was some negative talk during the week, Copeland wants to talk about the positives. He’s looking at it from a “what a time to be alive” standpoint.

Growing up, Copeland watched WWF, NWA and much more, devouring it all because he loved professional wrestling. When he started thinking about the end of his career, he says he realized AEW is where he needs to be, touting the phenomenal roster with talents like Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, Swerve Strickland and much more.

When his friends ask him if he’s having a blast, Copeland says he is — the most he’s ever had in his 32-year career. He adds that AEW should be celebrated for pushing the whole business to a better place and that it’s where the best wrestle.

Turns out it’s a really long introduction for the man himself, Will Ospreay, as Copeland puts him over as the man who will be what AEW is going forward.

Will Ospreay wins the “Battle of Wills” against Powerhouse Hobbs

Don Callis joins the announcers for this one and takes credit for pitting his own stable members against each other in an “iron sharpens iron” way. He likes Ospreay’s early aggression, which finally gets him in trouble when Hobbs hoists him off the barricade and slams his spine on the steel steps. Ouch.

Much as we like seeing Ospreay do his thing, it feels like after some side-by-side commercials that we’re going to need a Hobbs showcase sequence at some point. We get just a tad before Ospreay goes back on the attack, then catches Hobbs with an inside cradle.

Hobbs hits an impressive move off the middle turnbuckle for a near fall, but his next powerslam is countered by a DDT. A sky twister press is next, and the Hidden Blade wipes out Hobbs to secure a pinfall for Ospreay.

Callis has to step between the two men after the match, and is able to broker some peace before things get out of hand.

Thunder Rosa leaves Toni Storm speechless by defeating Mariah May

Toni Storm joins the announcers, the better to see Rosa’s X-Men inspired ring gear. The champ seems to think her protege might have a quick night here, but she’s taking more punishment than she’s giving early on.

It still looks like Rosa is in charge after picture-in-picture action, leading Storm to say she’s getting nervous. May evades a double stomp off the top and nails a knee for a close near fall.

The finish comes sort of out of nowhere, with Rosa hitting the Tijuana Bomb and earning No. 1 contender status for Storm’s title. Rosa tells Storm to get in the ring right now, but Toni simply looks stunned.

Swerve Strickland, Samoa Joe make it official … in blood

Tony Schiavone moderates and Joe wastes no time signing on the proverbial bottom line. The champ says he wants to give his challenger a little bit of advice before he signs. Namely, Joe says signing is a career-defining mistake, as he’ll beat Swerve down so badly that it’ll leave him mentally scarred like he left Diddy’s party too late. Joe’s words, not ours.

Strickland responds that he’s wanted this moment his entire life, dreaming about it and wondering if it was possible. He mentions the new signings that are helping AEW build a dynasty and says he’ll prove that he is every bit that man.

“Now run the fade on that bitch,” Strickland says in closing. Joe shoves him but Swerve fires back a mean right hand. Strickland goes to choke out the champ with his chain, but Joe wrestles it away and wraps it around his right hand. Strickland ends up eating multiple shots from the chain in the corner, bleeding from the onslaught.

But as Joe heads back up the ramp, a bloody Swerve simply laughs and says “I love this s–t,” adding that if this is all Joe’s got, he’s taking the championship. Strickland signs the contract with his own blood, but an enraged Joe runs back to the ring, kicks him in the groin and slams him through the table with a uranage.

MJF tweets for first time in 2024, takes shots at The Rock

It should be no surprise that MJF has the most perfect timing possible for a return to social media during WrestleMania week.

Leave it to MJF to wait until WrestleMania week to be active on social media again — and to use it to offer his two cents on the hottest angle in pro wrestling right now.

The former AEW World Champion hasn’t wrestled since dropping that title so Samoa Joe at Worlds End on Dec. 30, and he’s stayed off X since the day before that.

But on Wednesday, The Rock offered to buy a painting of one of his recent attacks on Cody Rhodes from MJF’s ex-fiancée, Naomi Rosenblum, and MJF wasn’t going to stay silent about that.

The “steal my glorious idea” crack is a reference to the time four years ago in AEW when MJF made Rhodes take 10 lashes from his own belt to get a match against him.

And as viewers of “Young Rock” surely know, Dewey is Dwayne Johnson’s childhood nickname.

Because MJF has made his alleged 2024 free agency such a core part of his on-screen persona for so long, the comments section of his tweet are full of fans hoping it’s some kind of signal that he’s jumping to WWE. MJF has kept his contract status with AEW intentionally vague, though some industry insiders believe he’s already re-signed with the company and is simply laying low while he recuperates from several injuries that plagued him toward the end of 2023.

Regardless, he’s as shrewd a performer as there is in the pro wrestling business, which means he knows a return to social media targeting The Rock during the busiest wrestling week of the year is guaranteed to get people talking. Well played, MJF.

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AEW Dynamite preview 04/03/24: Battle of Wills plus Joe, Swerve contract signing

AEW Dynamite from Worcester will also see the Young Bucks battle Best Friends and Thunder Rosa take on Mariah May.

AEW looked like it had lots of fun in Canada, but it’s back in the U.S. tonight for Dynamite (and a Collision taping) in Worcester, Mass. That’s the city whose ‘ce’ are basically silent, but it should be a loud crowd for a slate that looks like it will help get more of AEW Dynasty locked and loaded.

Can Will Ospreay defeat a much bigger and stronger Will?

We’re embarrassed to say we almost didn’t get why Don Callis was calling the battle between Will Ospreay and Powerhouse Hobbs “A Battle of Wills” at first. It’s just that hardly anyone calls Hobbs by his first name on the air any more, but once we remembered that, it was “well played, sir” to the head of the Family.

Ospreay has already defeated Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher, so he’s basically going for a sweep of his ostensible teammates here. It’s almost like we the viewers realize he’s not right for the heel stable but no one in the production has figured it out yet. Maybe the light bulb moment will happen while we’re enjoying Ospreay working against yet another opponent with a different style.

What will happen when Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland sign to face each other at Dynasty?

Swerve Strickland earned the right to challenge for the AEW World Championship again. Samoa Joe, holder of that title, isn’t super thrilled about that. Something has to give, and it probably will when they have their contract signing tonight in Worcester.

Swerve and Joe are great on the mic so even if they just trade insults this should be entertaining, but don’t we all want to see them throw hands? To quote “Godzilla” (2014), “let them fight.”

AEW Dynamite card for Worcester

  • Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Will Ospreay
  • Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland have a contract signing for their match at AEW Dynasty
  • Young Bucks vs. Best Friends – AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinal
  • Daddy Ass vs. Jay White
  • Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May
  • Chris Jericho calls out Hook

AEW Dynamite takes place live before this busy week in pro wrestling really kicks into high gear, so check it out on TBS at 8 p.m. ET or join us back here at Wrestling Junkie for live results.

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CM Punk recalls Hangman Adam Page’s off-script promo: ‘Why would you do this?’

CM Punk discussed Hangman Adam Page’s infamous off-script promo on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Before CM Punk‘s conflict at All In, which ultimately led to his departure from AEW, there was his beef with The Elite from All Out 2022, where the infamous “Brawl Out” altercation occurred backstage. Tensions had been brewing before that between Punk and Hangman Adam Page, highlighted by Page’s infamous “workers’ rights” promo on Dynamite.

Punk has been hesitant to discuss his time with AEW or any of the controversial subjects associated with him. However, during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, one of the topics discussed was the events between Punk and Page during the summer of 2022. And just like the rest of the interview, the Straight Edge Superstar did not hold back.

When asked about Page allegedly going off script and upsetting Punk — and whether that was the first time he felt his reputation was being slandered — Punk explained exactly why he took offense to what went down. Most of it, he says, was due to Page agreeing to do things a certain way when they interacted, then deviating from that plan without warning.

“But I sat down with [Page], and I was very gracious,” Punk said. “We hammered out this promo. He goes on live TV and does not say any of the s–t we talked about. I can’t hear him because the crowd’s so loud. I’m looking at him and I have to really pay attention to what he’s saying because my responses matter. I can’t just say what I have planned because it won’t match what he’s saying to me. And he’s saying some s–t. I don’t know what he’s talking about. And I’m just like, man, why would you do this? TV is very expensive. Every minute is hundreds of thousands of dollars between production, etc. And you’re just s–ting on me and the business. Why would you do this? I knew the promo ended with him punching me and I had to double-leg him.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I was professional,” Punk added. “Afterward, I spoke to him and asked why he did that. He thinks I got one of his friends, who hasn’t been fired, fired. I went to Tony [Khan] and the lawyer and said you need to fix that, because if I do, you won’t like how I fix it.”

It’s safe to say the situation was never resolved, considering the altercation, the NDA that locked details of what happened, and the subsequent separation of everyone involved when Punk returned to AEW in June 2023. And though this incident is long in the distance, it’s still interesting to see the curtain pulled back on a notorious time in the company’s short history.

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