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.
AEW Collision filled in the final spot on the Revolution card and added a match to the pre-show as well.
We’re so, so close to AEW Revolution now. In fact, we’re so close that AEW Collision isn’t live tonight, having been taped earlier this week in Huntsville, Ala.
It’s a go home show for sure, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing important happening. For one, there’s a three-way match that will fill the final spot in the
AEW Collision results:
Buddy Matthews was supposed to wrestle an unknown opponent when he was attacked by Mark Briscoe; a wild brawl ensued that also drew in other members of the House of Black, but Briscoe was able to fight them all off and nearly managed to burn Matthews with the pyro and flame jests before the House retreated
Swerve Strickland admits that Hangman Adam Page tricked him good on Dynamite, but also says it won’t happen again and that he’ll take the AEW World Championship from Samoa Joe at Revolution
Dante Martin def. Bryan Keith and Penta El Zero Miedo by pinning Keith to win a spot in the All-Star 8-Man Scramble at Revolution
Page is shown angrily explaining that he isn’t proud of the deception he pulled off but insists “I had to do it”
Mariah May def. Angelica Risk by pinfall; afterward, “Timeless” Toni Storm blows by May right after the bell and calls for Deonna Purrazzo to join her in the ring, and the two friends turned rivals exchange one last set of threats, then some blows after Storm kisses Purrazzo on the cheek; May tries to help Storm but gets beaten up for her efforts
Bang Bang Scissor Gang (Anthony Bowens, Colten Gunn and Max Caster) def. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno and John Silver) by pinfall
Lexy Nair talks with Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale and Stokely Hathaway, and while Stoke apologizes, a fired up Willow says she and Stat are going to kick the asses of Julia Hart and Skye Blue on Sunday night
Tony Schiavone has an in-ring conversation with Wardlow, who says he finally got someone’s attention, and that he’ll finally get his world championship shot after he beats the other all-stars in the Scramble at Revolution; he ponders who he’ll be facing for the title but is eventually interrupted by Chris Jericho, and their verbal sparring is in turn interrupted by Powerhouse Hobbs, who lays out Jericho and threatens Wardlow
Lexy talks to Serena Deeb, who says she’s been putting on clinics week after week; she says anyone watching who thinks they’re the best should step up and prove it against her
Private Party def. Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal by pinfall, thanks in large part to assistance from Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett, and the two groups teased a new alliance after the win
A video package hypes the Revolution match between Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson, with some additional words from both men
Thunder Rosa def. Cassandra Golden by submission
A video package shows Matthew and Nicholas Jackson trying to give Sting his “exit interview,” after which we get a rundown of the full Revolution card
Christian Cage, Brian Cage, Roderick Strong and Killswitch def. Orange Cassidy, Hook, Daniel Garcia and Trent Beretta by pinfall when Killswitch pins Beretta; after the bell, the two teams continue to fight, and Matt Menard ends up getting chokeslammed onto a steel chair by Killswitch before the show simply fades out with fighting still very much going on
During a media call earlier this week, Tony Khan revealed that the plans behind Sunday’s pay-per-view began back on Oct. 1 of last year, when he heard that legendary wrestler and founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling Antonio Inoki had passed away at the age of 79.
Khan told the media that he took a mental note of the date and immediately began the ideation process of putting on a tribute show with New Japan to honor Inoki. The result is WrestleDream.
The last time AEW did something with a distinct NJPW flavor was the dual-branded Forbidden Door event back in June, which produced some of the best wrestling matches of the year. With a title like WrestleDream, I’d imagine we’ll see more of the same Sunday night.
Here are my predictions for the event:
Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
What is a better way to headline a supposed dream card than with a dream match between two of the best technical wrestlers in the world?
When matches like this come around, fans usually cheer for both participants because they are so happy to see the match become a reality. However, I believe that can take away from a match.
Danielson and Sabre should have no such issue as it emanates merely two hours away from the former’s hometown of Aberdeen, Wash. With Seattle being Danielson’s surrogate hometown for the evening, I’d imagine most of the fans in the building will be rooting for the hometown hero, which should elevate the match.
When it comes to picking a winner, that’s where things become difficult. Danielson has openly discussed the end of his full-time in-ring career being in the near future, which could lead to him looking for someone to pass the torch to as this generation’s best technical wrestler.
Sabre would certainly fit that bill.
However, because this match takes place in Danielson’s neck of the woods, I believe he will walk away with the victory, sending the fans in Seattle home happy.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page
The segment between these two on this week’s edition of Dynamite was fantastic, and it added to my own personal excitement to see this encounter.
While that was fun, this is another match that is proving tough to predict. Why? Because both guys need the win.
Sure, Page has been to the top of the mountain before and has been heavily featured in the past, but he hasn’t been involved in a lot of eventful angles lately. A win here could re-energize his momentum and get him back to the top of the card.
However, Strickland has never been given a main event-caliber push, and it was only until recently that he was a consistent presence on the weekly television shows. And some of that credit should go to the hysterically funny Prince Nana.
Not to mention, it has been a while since Strickland picked up a big win. In my opinion, he’s due.
The match itself should be a classic.
Winner: Swerve Strickland
AEW World Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Aussie Open
Another match, another potential classic for the world tag team titles.
While Aussie Open is a great team, I don’t see a reason to take the titles away from FTR at this point.
Winners: FTR
AEW TNT Championship (2-out-of-3 Falls): Christian Cage (c) vs. Darby Allin
I may not hit on all of my predictions, but if there is one that you can take directly to the bank, it is that Allin will take chances with his body during the match — and some of them will be unnecessary.
I can easily see Cage doing something that would damn near incapacitate Allin, only for it to be used as a means to have the latter come back from behind and win the match.
Winner: Darby Allin
AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Julia Hart
As excited as I am to see the TBS title get some shine on a pay-per-view, I am just as disappointed in the fact that Statlander versus Hart is the only women’s match on this card.
When AEW and New Japan link up, in my eyes, it is a showcase of the best professional wrestling the world has to offer outside of WWE. There are enough great women’s wrestlers out there to warrant putting more than one match on a card of this magnitude. But guess how many women’s matches were on Forbidden Door?
One.
There are enough wrestlers in AEW’s women’s division that would warrant more than one match. But guess how many were on All In, the supposed biggest wrestling show of all time?
One.
Guess how many women’s matches were on All Out?
One.
And no, I’m not counting the pre-show matches. I’m talking about the proper pay-per-view that people pay their hard-earned money to watch.
Somehow, there’s never enough time for more.
Both Statlander and Hart are great wrestlers, and I love seeing the latter’s maturation into someone who has main event potential, but there are more talented wrestlers in AEW’s women’s division. They deserve to be put on this stage as well.
As far as a winner, I’m going with Statlander. I do believe that Hart will have a star-making performance in defeat.
Winner: Kris Statlander
Ring of Honor World & NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
On paper, this sounds like it should be a banger, but with Kingston recently revealing that he is dealing with a lower back injury that forced him to step away from independent wrestling, I’m not sure what to expect.
Kingston also revealed that he recently signed a four-year extension with AEW. AEW making such a commitment tells me that the promotion is firmly behind Kingston as the ROH champ.
Winner: Eddie Kingston
Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship: MJF (c) vs. The Righteous
As I wrote in a previous column, it would make total sense to have MJF lose to The Righteous and move on from tag team competition since his partner is sidelined with a broken ankle.
Winners: The Righteous
Chris Jericho & The Golden Elite (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. The Don Callis Family (Will Ospreay, Sammy Guevara, & Konosuke Takeshita)
After all of the trouble the Callis family has caused over the last few weeks, my instinct is usually to take the good guys in this situation.
However, I feel like Guevara needs a chance to redeem himself after losing to Jericho at Grand Slam. Sure, he gained some measure of revenge by getting some of his heat back on Jericho after the match.
But I feel like in order for him to get the maximum amount of revenge, he needs to beat Jericho. Maybe that will happen in a one-on-one match one day in the future, but I would make it happen here, and further elevate The Don Callis Family in the process.
Winners: The Don Callis Family
No. 1 contender’s match for AEW World Tag Team Championship: Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros. vs. The Gunns vs. Orange Cassidy and Hook
Since three of the four teams have already been heavily featured in the past, I’m going to call for the upset and go with the odd couple pairing of Cassidy and Hook to come out on top.
Winners: Orange Cassidy and Hook
Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta
Yuta is cool and all, but if Starks doesn’t pick up the win here then we have some serious problems.
See how Konsuke Takeshita managed to sneak in the pinfall against The Golden Elite at AEW All In London.
It looks like it’s going to take a minute or so to just decide who will start out, but the teams settle on Hangman Adam Page and Juice Robinson. Kenny Omega gets in too for some double team offense on Juice, who wants no part of Kota Ibushi and tags in Jay White. Jim Ross seems perplexed by them inviting each other to trade strikes.
But the pace picks up when Omega tags back in, and he gets a chance to take flight to wipe out White and Konosuke Takeshita. Bullet Club Gold manages to pull together to stomp on Kenny, much to the delight of Don Callis on guest commentary.
Omega is isolated and taking damage from all three of his opponents, with Ibushi and Page both getting dealt with when they try to assist. Robinson lands a senton that goes for a two count.
Just when Omega pulls off an athletic move to get to his corner, The Gunns try to pull Page off the apron. Ibushi takes care of them, and now Hangman is running wild. He covers White at the end of his flurry and earns a near fall.
Ibushi decks White with strikes and lands a standing moonsault for two. The Golden Lovers hit twin moonsaults to the floor, even with shaky footing for Ibushi. White fights back with a uranage, and now Omega and Takeshita get their chance to square off.
After Omega gets off snapdragons on his teammates, Takeshita responds with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Omega and Page join forces for a beautiful combo that ends with an avalanche Blockbuster on Takeshita.
The Gunns want to stop Page from launching a Buckshot, delaying him enough for White to intercept, and all of a sudden signature moves are flying in every direction. That leaves White to get a V-Trigger from Omega, but Takeshita, apparently still the legal man, rolls up Omega and gets the three count.
CM Punk couldn’t resist the chance to poke fun at someone he’s had issues with since last year.
Is last year’s post-All Out brawl finally turning into fuel for AEW storylines? Or is CM Punk just not willing to let some bygones be bygones?
Those were natural questions following the end of this week’s episode of AEW Collision in Greensboro. While Punk and FTR were unsuccessful in their attempt to win the AEW World Trios Championship from House of Black, a big reason they came up short was interference against Punk from Samoa Joe, who has been calling out Punk for a potential match at All In later this month in London.
Yet when Punk got on the mic after the show went off the air on TNT, he seemingly wanted to look back instead of forward, aiming some barbs at Hangman Adam Page — as shown in the video below from Jase on X.
“I went to a local supermarket, and I found out why they call him Hangman,” Punk said. “It’s because the pegs in the toy aisle are full of Hangman action figures, ’cause nobody wants to buy them. He’s a peg warmer, unlike me, who moves merchandise and pops ratings and sells toys.”
Punk also mocked people for saying they were the heart and soul of AEW, which is a comment that certainly could have included Page as well.
Punk’s issues with Page were at the very heart of his now famous press conference rant last year, spurred by a promo prior to All Out where he felt Page went into business for himself at Punk’s expense. Afterward, when Punk got into an altercation with The Elite, much of the focus was on his interactions with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks (who were also targets during his tirade).
At this point, the line between reality and showmanship on this issue has bee more or less eradicated, so this could have been Punk trying to set something up for down the road (for All Out, maybe?) or just him being him with an open mic. Regardless, it’s a moment that will catch the attention of plenty of fans and be filed away for later.
While not part of the ‘pillar’ storyline, Page has been a stalwart since day one. He has wrestled in the first AEW World Championship match, headlined events with other top stars, become one of the brand’s most popular faces, and even held the title for a time.
The last four years raised Page from known quantity to wrestling star. When it’s time for a wrestling company to retain those types, it will cost a penny or two. That’s the stage AEW is at with Page.
According to Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended), Page and AEW are working towards a new contract. Negotiations started “fairly recently,” but there’s no timetable for when the two sides will finalize a deal.
AEW faces a critical juncture as Fightful Select also notes that Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks are negotiating new deals. These four, who were among the original AEW signings, still hold key positions on the roster, so losing any of them would be detrimental. Like Page, Omega and the Young Bucks have headlined shows and been involved in some of AEW’s biggest moments.
Plus, with CM Punk’s likely return, it can’t hurt to keep the talent who had the biggest squabbles with him happy. Punk, Omega and the Young Bucks infamously fought after All Out 2022, so there’s no telling what animosity remains between both parties.
Meanwhile, Page most recently reunited with Omega and the Young Bucks for a feud with the Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and Wheeler Yuta). It seems logical for a match to happen at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, on Sunday, May 28. Perhaps the contract finalizes ahead of time so it doesn’t loom at one of AEW’s biggest shows of the year.
These three AEW stars stood out the most on a wild night at AEW Revolution.
With several months between every AEW pay-per-view, sometimes it feels like there’s even more riding on them. After all, with the next big card not taking place for a while, if a show doesn’t come off well, the next chance to make a good impression is a ways down the road.
Happily, AEW Revolution was a spectacle that commanded your attention throughout. Say what you want about AEW’s occasionally scattershot approach to storytelling, but when it hits, it hits, and that shined through in several matches on Sunday night.
And if there’s artistry in violence, then a couple of Picassos were painted as well. The Texas Death match and the 60-minute Iron Man main event — that ended up going more than an hour — were both in that category, and there were other memorable moments in other bouts as well.
There’s time for AEW to reload for Double or Nothing in late May, which is the plus side of not having monthly PPVs. But for now, let’s take a look at who came out of Revolution looking even better than they went in.
The injury Hangman Adam Page suffered during AEW Dynamite was proof that even experienced wrestlers can have things go unexpectedly wrong.
For anyone watching or participating in AEW Dynamite Tuesday night in Cincinnati, the main event was a scary scene. Hangman Adam Page and Jon Moxley were having the intense, physical encounter one would expect for an AEW World Championship match, and entering the final few minutes before the show ended.
Moxley hit Page with a lariat, a move wrestling fans have seen a million times. Hangman landed hard, face down. And then he never got up, with a doctor entering the ring to check on him before Moxley was declared the winner.
It became clear pretty quickly that it was a legitimate injury; as Moxley scrambled to fill the last few moments of the show by calling out MJF, cameras never cut back to Page being attended to by medical personnel, and there was notable emotion in the voice of Taz at the commentary table. There was a sense that it could be bad, and expressions of support flooded in from around the pro wrestling world, including from the likes of Big E, who knows all too well that even routine moves can go awry.
Fortunately, AEW provided a medical update late Tuesday night, and it was good news under the circumstances. Page was diagnosed with a concussion, but was discharged and did not have to remain under observation overnight.
Replays showed that Page landed almost headfirst while taking the lariat, and essentially on the side of his head. A number of observers have pointed out that it’s a bump he’s probably taken hundreds of times over his career, and an example of how even maneuvers that fans consider routine have an element of danger no matter how experienced the performers are who are doing them.
Concussions are serious business in their own right, but as Page would probably agree, he was fortunate to come out of this without further injury. Hangman will undoubtedly be welcomed back warmly whenever he returns, but let’s hope he takes as much time as needed to recover completely before he does.
Get full results from the AEW Rampage episode on September 16, 2022, as the final pieces of the Grand Slam card fall into place.
Before you can hit a grand slam, you have to load the bases first, right? For AEW Dynamite Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium next week, the principle is somewhat the same, except that in this case it’s loading the card, which is something tonight’s Rampage should help finish.
There are also some decent matches in their own right on this Rampage, including Samoa Joe putting his ROH title on the line against Josh Woods. So this isn’t just an hour of setup, folks. Let’s dive in and see what’s what, not live this week as it was taped Wednesday after Dynamite.
AEW Rampage results in 30 seconds:
Darby Allin def. Matt Hardy by pinfall … but Brody King lays out Hardy after the bell, calls out Allin and Sting and lets them know the House of Black isn’t finished
Eddie Kingston clears up the reasons he doesn’t like Sammy Guevara, and it’s because he simply thinks Sammy is a rotten human being
Claudio Castagnoli is confident Wheeler Yuta will win back the ROH Pure Championship, and says it’s OK that Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley will face each other next week because no matter what, the BCC will have two world champions … and gets a world title challenge from Chris Jericho
Jade Cargill thinks she has no challengers left, but Diamante is willing to test that idea and says she is bringing the “baddest bitch” with her
Penelope Ford def. Willow Nightingale by submission
Hangman Adam Page apologizes to his Dark Order buddies for losing the Trios Championship final, and Andrade El Idolo shows up to say he’s going to eliminate all of them from the Battle Royale at Grand Slam
Ethan Page def. Danhausen by pinfall
Ricky Starks admits Powerhouse Hobbs threw him off his game by putting The Factory on his way, but says Hobbs has his full attention now and he will see Powerhouse in New York
Samoa Joe def. Josh Woods by pinfall to retain his ROH World Television Championship, then gets assistance from Wardlow to fight off Woods and Tony Nese
CM Punk didn’t hold back during the post-All Out press conference, airing some serious grievances against Hangman Adam Page and The Elite.
CM Punk left plenty of his sweat and blood in the ring at AEW All Out while reclaiming the AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley on Sunday night in Chicago. And while he appeared at the post-event press conference to answer questions from the media, there were a few topics he obviously wasn’t happy were brought up.
One of them was his former friendship and subsequent falling out with Colt Cabana. Punk gave his side of the story but called it “f–king embarrassing” that he had to answer questions about it.
It’s 2022. I haven’t been friend with this guy since at least 2014, late 2013. And the fact that I have to sit up here because we have irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs, and couldn’t f–king manage a Target, and they spread lies and bulls–t and put into the media that I got somebody fired, when I have f–k all to do with him — want nothing to do with him, do not care where he works, where he doesn’t work, where he eats, where he sleeps. And the fact that I have to get up here and do this in 2022 is fucking embarrassing.
He wasn’t done. Punk immediately turned his attention to Hangman Adam Page, calling him “an empty-headed, f–king dumb f–k.” Accusing Page of going into business for himself, Punk said his actions jeopardized “the first million-dollar house that this company has ever drawn.”
You can watch his entire comments on Page in this video captured by Steven Muehlhausen of DAZN.
Punk also had some choice words during the press conference for MJF, who made his return to AEW at All Out. While it would be fairly simple to not have Punk work with Page and The Elite, there doesn’t seem to be any way to avoid a program between Punk and MJF.
So far, AEW has been remarkably skilled and/or lucky to be able to turn real life grievances into part of its narratives, but it remains to be seen if that can be done indefinitely. The “two sides to every story” caveat applies to Punk’s comments, but one thing they show is that there is still plenty of tension between various high profile members of the locker room, and that it’s going to continue as a source of fascination and speculation for the larger wrestling industry when it can’t be kept behind closed doors.
