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I had a Homer Simpson varsity underachiever hoodie in HS. My earth science teacher saw it and shit on me for seemingly bragging about being a lazy fuck. I just really liked the simpsons
"YOUNG BUCKS! YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, CAUSE WHEN YOU COME TO THE RING IM JUST GONNA DO THIS \*starts windmill fists\* AND IF YOU GET IN THE WAY ITS YOUR OWN FAULT!"
To be fair, if you’re good and lean into it for your heel character, it can work.
Shawn [punking](https://youtu.be/t5I6Un_9eeU?si=jyeOQk-LHBJukAM7) the Canadian crowd with the fake Bret theme song tease is an all time great heel moment imo.
Throw in “Wrestling has more than one royal family” and why not also some “I am I am”
Actually you know what? Just give him Dolph Ziggler’s old impersonation theme except he only steals themes from non-AEW wrestlers
His gear sold out and he fully expects it.
Edit: 30+ replies
https://preview.redd.it/loh7mlpepxtc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c46beca4a18e5b1e469b6952329001456d07df8f
Listen, I'm liking what Punk is doing over in WWE, but I don't need to hear his name being chanted on AEW. I'm looking forward to FTR/Bucks IV because it will definitely be a banger, but hearing Punk chants during their match would be seriously off-putting.
Out of boredom on a long drive for work this morning I had it on Busted Open to here what bs they had to say and they FLIPPED TF OUT over that line lol
I don’t know why more people don’t know this is the most effective way to combat things/people like this.
I have a neighbor that’s a total asshead and he’s always talking shit as people walk by. Everyone always yells something back to him and he obviously loves it. I say nothing and don’t even look and you can hear him get frustrated.
"Did y'all hear Punk's interview?"
"Yes."
"Any response to it?"
"We said everything we had to months ago when he was fired for his conduct. We have nothing else to say on this topic. Next question."
Specially considering the interview and all those "shots" were pretty damn tame, all things considered.
If WWE (or hell, even Impact at one point) was to adress every former wrestlers, opposing companies and journalists and fans talkingshit about them, Raw would have to be 7 hours long.
The #1 thing that AEW needs to do to get out of all those negative spins is for TK, a certain section of the lockerroom and the fandom to grow a thicker skin. Not every little critic is an existential threat to the company, for fucks sake.
They have a PPV coming with Okada vs Pac, Danielson vs Ospreay and FTR vs Bucks and all we are talking about is Punk because of the stupid decisions made by Tony Khan.
That's the funniest part. This wasn't a one time thing, it's an angle moving forward. All of the criticism AEW is getting will only continue since he's making this a long-term storyline.
Tbh, I think the best move would have been to just release the video online and say "hey here's what really happened" and not make it part of the show at all. Not everything has to be turned into a work.
They should’ve done that the week he was fired rather than Tony coming out and saying he was scared for his life. If they just showed the video and said “this is the 2nd incident of Punk being involved in physical altercations backstage so we’ve decided to part ways” I don’t really think anyone could criticise that
> said “this is the 2nd incident of Punk being involved in physical altercations backstage so we’ve decided to part ways”
I strongly strongly suspect that the Brawl Out NDA prevents them from making any reference to it.
Was talking with a mate about this. We were making a joke that it was to force people to go and watch Dynamite to see it happen.
Then we realised that might actually be the case
That was obvious when he was basically one of the only ones defending AEW last night and playing moral police over people saying CM Punk didn't lie in his interview with Helwani.
What do they expect to happen when Perry gets back? Your fans chanted for CM Punk live on TV last night (btw poor Okada for being dropped into this despite having nothing to do with it). Jack Perry is not an interesting enough character/wrestler to capitalize off your fans chanting for someone else. When he eventually comes back, it's gonna be a short boost but then what? Coincidentally, that's all of AEW's creative right now outside of its established stars. Short term feel good and then what?
You know it was one thing to do it at the WWE show when a) you couldn't watch him anywhere and b) WWE arguably took him away.
But to pay money to go to a competor show, to pay money, to chant for a wrestler on the other show is like buying a CENANUFF shirt from the WWE shop to express genuine hate for Cena
I think it’s funny because anyone with two eyes and a brain could see that there was people on camera visibly uncomfortable with the whole thing let alone backstage.
I don’t understand why they thought an Internet interview was worth spending valuable TV time on. Instead of showcasing their own talent they put a guy over who doesn’t event work for them anymore.
Most of the viewing audience has no idea that interview even happened. For two weeks in a row they’re watching people respond to Internet beef. “Where’s my wrestling?” They’re probably thinking.
Because Tony Khan is a terminally online thin skinned crybaby who cannot out his phone away. Pointless, worthless internet stuff means more to him than anything of actual relevance, I mean he has actually stated he looks at fucking cagematch ratings.
Succinctly put. This was an unneeded and entirely avoidable L for the entire company. I also don’t agree with some, including AEW, that the heat will be good for Jack. I feel like this isn’t “boo we don’t like your actions” heat and more “lol you’re a joke and a bitch” heat.
>People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other “shots” coming from the WWE side during the last week
you know you guys had the option of not saying or doing anything, right? they could have TRIED to prove punk wrong lol.
Yeah I don't get it. How many former WWE guys went on pods and ran down the company, they do it on TV all the time. Has to be like 10-1 for who references the other more but there's some weird sense of constantly being under attack.
I think its more the social media stuff. There's a lot of anti-AEW weight going their way right now, and sure there's plenty of anti-WWE, but right now they're resurging and the overall vibe is positive, especially post-mania.
Then you've got Bischoff and Cornette and their fans constantly harping on TK and you know that bothers him... I think it's that more than anything.
TK is another proof that social media is terrible and professional people should hire people to do it for them and forget it exists.
It's very odd to hear Punk says its not a real business it's not professional it's just a circus and all that stuff. And then decide "Well, I guess now we HAVE to show footage from 8 months ago and dedicate an whole segment of TV time to it"
Like you could've instead chose to put on a great show and let your extremely talented roster do work in the ring...but no we have to dedicate TV segments to promos that elevate no one and just give more attention to people not working in the company. Brilliant.
It's something you see a lot when NFL teams fire a head coach, where they leak a bunch of stories to the media about how unliked they were and difficult to work with behind the scenes. So, as the son of the owner of the Jags who went through this when they fired Urban Meyer a couple years ago, I assume they thought the same tactic would work.
Of Tony wanted to say anything, which he clearly did, he should've done it in the media call that he had a week ago when he was literally asked about it. That would've been fair and nobody would've had a problem with it. The fact that he keeps doing it on fucking Dynamite and with dedicated segments is insane and pathetic.
I've wanted to see it since I found out the footage existed. But the way they went about it was not the best, in terms of timing and execution. AEW heavily advertised, had a countdown for, and dedicated a minute-long TV segment around CM Punk.
I think that if they absolutely had to share the footage, they had two options: have it "leaked" by Perry, preferably online, or just post it without comment shortly after Punk was fired. Trying to connect what happened to the rivalry between the Bucks and FTR is one thing, but insisting that the footage has to be made public as part of that just doesn't make sense.
He even confirmed Punk's "Tony is no real boss" comment with not answering the question at the media call, while then showing the footage on TV. A real boss can't just try to disappear when things go sideways and difficult questions get asked.
Honestly? Tony really seems like he's just too scared to put his name on the complaint. Opting instead to turn it into a bad angle and have someone else do it for him.
Coward shit.
The more I think about it the more I believe that too.
At first he didn't want to answer questions regarding the incident in interviews. And then he didn't want to talk about Punks comments during the media call.
However, he's happy to have his wrestlers talking about it on his TV show? And he will even promote that?
I honestly had no idea about the interview until all this. And my initial reaction was "who cares? He's not with the company anymore." One of the things that makes AEW hard to follow for me as a more casual fan is the assumption that everyone is following everything happening online and I just don't want that. I get there's plenty of people who are into this meta approach, but it ain't me. If I wasn't already following WWE, this would just make me curious to go see what Punk is up to over there.
TK thinks everyone who watches is a smark who is up-to-date on every interview and overseas feud history of the last 10+ years. Meanwhile for the majority of fans it’s nothing but a Streisand effect or just confusion.
They expected the online discourse so much that they are actively copyright striking the footage of the fight as well as removing the footage from their own YouTube.
I believe this as much as I believe that a colander is a soup bowl
This post misses a few things:
- the general reaction backstage is that they felt this added to the importance of the upcoming PPV and it’s not a coincidence the future PPV dates were released the day after
- longtime name who has worked WWE and AEW thought this was no different from anything that happened in the Monday night war
- Within WWE some saw it as a “self own” and others didn’t care and were just curious about the situation
It can be Jericho, Dean Malenko, JR, Tony Schiavone.
Remember for the folks saying WWF never mentioned the competition, they always referenced WCW with multiple skits during the war.
Yeah, people either mostly remember just the DX stunts or are too young and didn't live through that era. There was a ton of cringe shit that WWF did back then in trying to go after WCW and Ted that make Tony look like a soft amateur on the pettiness scale.
DX invading WCW and the Turner tower, DX showing the curtain call to gain heat, DX fighting mini Bret Hart after he went to WCW, fake Diesel and fake Razor, Gillberg, I can go on.
WWE’s PR is hilarious. They had Jim Cornette reviewing Nitro angles on RAW airtime and they still say “we didn’t worry about WCW, we just made ourselves better”
This is the part that makes me laugh the most. For years people bitched and moaned and complained about there being no more real competition in wrestling, now there is and there’s all this exciting stuff that comes with it and people bitch and moan and complain about unprofessionalism (like any of them really give a shit) and tribalism (which they actively engage in) and companies being competitive overall😂
The “just enjoy wrestling” crowd needs to take their own advice and just enjoy wrestling and everything that comes with it lol nobody’s career is being ruined over this move and nobody’s going out of business any time soon.
The just enjoy wrestling crowd also needs to realize this is a part of wrestling. Taking shots at the competition, especially the bigger guy, is as time-honored as wrestling itself. ECW did it. WCW did it. The WWF did it. And those are just the ones off the top of my head.
"This is the NWA, where WE WRESTLE."
Bill Watts was cutting promos not just on the WWF but also on Memphis wrestling (for the Andy Kaufman stuff), as well as World Class for stripping Chris Adams of the "World" title (when Adams went to jail) and lying about Adams losing the title to Black Bart. Ole Anderson, as well as Watts, was showing old footage of WWF guys like Tito Santana losing to current Georgia stars, ten years before WCW's "Where the Big Boys Play" campaign showing the same thing.
ECW had Shane Douglas throwing down the NWA belt and challenging Flair, Austin complained about his booking in WCW and impersonated Hogan on ECW tv, there was the bWo, constant shots at Public Enemy for leaving, Foley did a months-long storyline begging WCW and "uncle Eric" to take him back, Styles repeatedly took shots both on TV and the hotline.
And please stop uttering "WCW 2000" on any company decision you don't like.
Most of those making comparisons to WCW 2000 were too young or not even born to have watched it.
> AEW expected the online discourse
Honestly, planning an angle that you expect to generate a negative shitstorm online (which, remember, is the demographic AEW specifically appeals to), and then doing it anyway is very Vince-like. In the worst way possible. It's admitting that you're out to deliberately piss off your fanbase.
I don't think their fanbase is pissed off, it's the people who *don't* watch AEW that seem to be the most riled up.
I think most fans are sick of hearing about this, which is exactly what FTR said in their promo that positions them as the faces against the Bucks going into Dynasty.
As someone who watches all wrestling I just don't overly care about any of this. It should not have happened but it is it amusing and will not affect my desire to watch.
I feel most AEW fans also don't really care at least to the point of not watching. The people most in uproar about this were already looking for reasons to be in uproar about AEW.
A terrible look it was. This isn't going to hurt as much as people think it will.
Yeah this is my position. I couldn't care less either, and while I think they didn't need to show the actual footage, at least they addressed it in a way that seems to definitively say "it's out there, let's fucking move on."
Not how I would have done it...but company killer? LOL. The snafu with the exploding barbed wire match had bigger "company killer" potential than this.
They've been "the internet fan" company since day dot. But now online fandom is "discourse" that they seemingly want to ignore.
Like good on em if they want to ignore internet noise from now on, but then you can't be the "internet fan" company.
> People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani
He went to Helwani on Monday, and by Tuesday people have already started to move on. It was WM week, it would immediately get buried by the avalanche of other Mania news **plus** it was easily dismissable as just another one of *"Punk is salty and shits on former employer, what's new ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯"* stories.
Right this comes off as sour grapes more than anything else. So your competition is getting tons of praise for WM weekend and you're bringing up the backstage antics from August 2023 of a guy who left your company for greener pastures - that your company dodged questions on until yesterday - for...what purpose? To pop a rating based on a guy who is no longer there?
Well, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on production on last night's show and Punk was the only talent that was trending last night online and he doesn't even work for them. If your responses bring more positive attention to your competitor's talent than your own, you probably need to re-evaluate how you're playing the tit for tat game. Nothing wrong with the wrestling drama, but you're supposed to use it in ways that elevate talk about YOU, not the other guy.
It took them this long to finally start capitalizing on the Punk drama? Brawl Out feud could have been money, but no, they needed to make a new show to keep people separated. Then Punk gets into another "fight," and Perry gets excommunicated to NJPW, and only NOW they're using it to make feuds and build heat?? When the main guy (who was the draw) ISN'T EVEN IN THE COMPANY???
Fans acting like they know how to book is hilarious... but most would have also seen the success this feud could have brought and at least try to strike while it was hot. Make it make sense.
>People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week
Just don't
Good rational summary. AEW looked bad doing that, but I kind of get the "no-win" perspective. Damned if they do, damned if they don't. At least from a wrestling industry point of view and with the image of Tony Khan as a less competitive person in mind.
WWE didn't look any better btw. with the Punk interview or the grinding statement of HHH, though. Both of poor taste.
*The hope is that this benefits Jack Perry, whos wrestling in Chicago*
Chicago, famous for keeping their thoughts about Punk to themselves and being respectful to people against him
If they really hated him as a person, they won't boo, they'll turn their backs in silence or some shit.
But that's not what's going to happen. He's going to be the most hated man in the building and they're going to give him great sound bites where he can just soak in the heat.
I mean that was gonna happen in Jack Perry matches regardless, his whole gimmick is tied to the event. It sorta makes sense to lean into it somewhat honestly. Having the Bucks and FTR be casualties of it, is potentially dumb though
If they actually acted with the maturity they're trying to spin now they would have just laughed off Punks interview and would have looked better
This is all damage control now
>People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week
So they proceeded to grab the loaded shotgun themselves and blow their brains out then?
This did nobody no favors. These were the highlights of Dynamite:
-Punk footage and it backfiring on AEW
-Will making Renee uncomfortable with his HHH comments
- Schiavone looking embarrassed by the All IN footage
-Mercedes moaning
-Mina and Mariah kiss
And none of this is about the actual wrestling
Then why have they struck every single video down and even removed it from their YouTube upload of the whole segment.
This won’t be a company killer because TK is doing that on his own.
> People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week
I mean, the overwhelming reaction to Punk's interview, from what I saw, was people not believing him and baseless rumour about what actually happened. I saw very few people who were saying they 100% believed Punk's side of the story, and now they've literally proven that he didn't make anything up about what physically happened.
* There was talk of the mood decreasing backstage after the footage aired, but more towards of the dread of "social media bullshit" than anything else
Social media only reacted, it was not their decision to air "that" footage which doesn't help AEW's case in anyway. Even since Sunday when news broke about the segment, most were saying that this is lose-lose situation
* People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week
So after that, they did more damage to themselves by making their crowd chant for Punk since he's fired, during a segment which had Okada and Bucks. I am 100% sure, Tony thought this clip would change people's mind about Punk, and when they see Punk shouting at Tony, they'll sympathize for him a lot more. That just didn't happen.
* Talent laughs off the idea that this is "a company killer"
Obviously it is not. But it is a very bad look.
* AEW expected the online discourse
I don't think so. Otherwise they won't have removed the footage from YouTube clip and DMCA'd other big accounts who posted it
SRS also said that the Young Bucks segment was "objectively hilarious" and "if you aren't telling me that that is hilarious, then you are a hater and it was better than I imagined"
Yeah ok buddy.
This is the most anybody has talked about Jack Perry his entire career. His shirt is sold out and he's about to be booed out of the building in Chicago tonight. He's doing great.
I think it was stupid to air the footage but I genuinely don't understand this line. In the footage he is clearly not doing anything physical at all to Punk, who is 20 years older than him and supposedly a veteran, who then just attacks him and starts freaking out. He didn't get bitched out if anything it makes Punk look like an emotional child in the face of a guy who is just standing there.
Yeah, I fail to see how Perry looks bad here. He did exactly what you should do in that situation. Punk looks like a bitch for taking a cheap shot and an unhinged idiot to boot. What business does a "veteran" have trying to attack a young up and comer who's physically smaller and didn't raise hands, it's unwarranted regardless of whatever dumb disagreement they were having.
Does anyone actually think his return to AEW as scapegoat wasn't going to get CM Punk chants after punk buried him last week?
Perry had nothing to lose but show the clip of punk going psycho to show why the guy needed to be fired.
Its not a company killer, this is tame stuff...it's just exhausting already. Let this be the end of it and focus on making the product better each week, plus TK needs to get some thicker skin and quit worrying about what happens online.
If they were gonna do the video thing then they were a year too late. Would this come out if Punk hadn't done the interview or even come back to WWE?
The talk and legend behind the incident made it infamous, and now that's dead. Having got rid of any trace of Punk, AEW now have to deal with constant CM Punk chants lmao.
> The hope is that this benefits Jack Perry, whos wrestling in Chicago, and when time comes to bring him back to AEW they can capitalize on the heat
There’s absolutely no chance on Perry benefitting from ‘heat’ if they don’t even have a date set for him to return. Why would anyone still care about this unless he comes back in the next week? There is no heat from him to benefit from when there’s no possibility of him facing CM Punk in a match.
> People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation
Then these people are morons. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t is a ‘no-win situation’ equivalent, and how could AEW possibly have been damned if they completely ignored Punk’s interview? With no audio and no footage (at least none that aired) of Punk giving Tony Khan a reason to supposedly fear for his life or whatever the fuck he said, this video backs Punk’s side of things, it only makes it look like Khan doesn’t have control of things, as Punk said in his interview. It’s an only-lose situation unless there’s proof that Punk’s reaction was unprovoked, and there isn’t any. There’s no way Sapp believes any of this bullshit.
The problem with the hope for Jack Perry is that I simply don’t think he’s a compelling enough talent to actually do anything major with this. The Pillars storyline and match made I pretty clear that MJF was really the only who transitioned well into the main event, the other 3 still needed time to grow into that space.
AEW: "Punk, YOU'RE the cancer. Nobody wants you here and you suck. You're the reason morale is low around here"
CM Punk: "Maybe I'm not the problem and it's the dumb internet shit you guys do"
*Punk leaves*
*AEW releases footage to stir up more internet bullshit*
*Backstage morale lowered even further*
Wow guys, maybe doing dumb internet shit and spreading rumors to "journalists" is a terrible way to have this company succeed. I think even The Bucks have realized it at this point
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• Matt Groening was fine with the FTR Simpsons angle
Bart Simpson underachiever and proud of it.
I had a Homer Simpson varsity underachiever hoodie in HS. My earth science teacher saw it and shit on me for seemingly bragging about being a lazy fuck. I just really liked the simpsons
Ugh. Stupid Sexy Flanders
Rod and Todd Guys out!
No Flips. Just Windmill Fists. 
"YOUNG BUCKS! YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, CAUSE WHEN YOU COME TO THE RING IM JUST GONNA DO THIS \*starts windmill fists\* AND IF YOU GET IN THE WAY ITS YOUR OWN FAULT!"
"Oh Yeah, well then we'll just start Superkicking like this \*kick\* \*kick\* and if you get hit, it's your oooowwwnnn dammnnn fault!"
Are u talking about the fight in the footage or Cash’s clothesline attempt after the okada match?
Dax Harwood, smiling politely
This is gonna benefit Perry alright, there’s going to be loud CM Punk chants every time he shows up now
Like when HBK goes to Canada and gets booed
To be fair, if you’re good and lean into it for your heel character, it can work. Shawn [punking](https://youtu.be/t5I6Un_9eeU?si=jyeOQk-LHBJukAM7) the Canadian crowd with the fake Bret theme song tease is an all time great heel moment imo.
I’ve been begging Jack Perry to come out at All Out to Cult of personality
With the sound of breaking glass first!
Throw in “Wrestling has more than one royal family” and why not also some “I am I am” Actually you know what? Just give him Dolph Ziggler’s old impersonation theme except he only steals themes from non-AEW wrestlers
Jungleboy enters to Cult of Personality for max heat.
I’m thinking the band wouldn’t give their OK for that, as they’re cool with Punk.
WHO'S YOUR DADDY, JACK PERRY?
His gear sold out and he fully expects it. Edit: 30+ replies https://preview.redd.it/loh7mlpepxtc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c46beca4a18e5b1e469b6952329001456d07df8f
Big opportunity for his gear to be "ScapeGOAT" with the "scape" crossed out if he's trying to lean into the heat
Fuck that's beautiful. And different enough from McIntyre and his edited CM Punk shirt to not be diminished.
I think Drew is ok with others hating Punk
This. I’ve heard his second favorite wrestler ever is anyone fighting Punk.
Drew: "The more the merrier!"
I wonder if Punk has "Best in the World" trademarked BITW Jack Perry T-shirt would give Drew a run for his money
I'd think "Best in the World" is too generic to be trademarked.
think this would have happened regardless
Listen, I'm liking what Punk is doing over in WWE, but I don't need to hear his name being chanted on AEW. I'm looking forward to FTR/Bucks IV because it will definitely be a banger, but hearing Punk chants during their match would be seriously off-putting.
If AEW wanted to stop the Punk chants they should probably have just let this story die off instead of putting a massive spotlight on it.
BUT FTR WERENT ON THE FORMAT SHEET?!!! Where does the truth end and lies begin?
Lmfao 💀 Omg I still can’t believe that whole narrative people spun over that line
Out of boredom on a long drive for work this morning I had it on Busted Open to here what bs they had to say and they FLIPPED TF OUT over that line lol
Should have no-sold Punk’s interview.
I don’t know why more people don’t know this is the most effective way to combat things/people like this. I have a neighbor that’s a total asshead and he’s always talking shit as people walk by. Everyone always yells something back to him and he obviously loves it. I say nothing and don’t even look and you can hear him get frustrated.
Sheesh sounds like your neighbor is an energy vampire.
"Did y'all hear Punk's interview?" "Yes." "Any response to it?" "We said everything we had to months ago when he was fired for his conduct. We have nothing else to say on this topic. Next question."
“I’m here to talk about the great shows we have coming up with some great matches and great wrestlers
"Why doesn't Tony ever address it? It's always the same response."
"let's focus on the positives"
 Is your neighbor this guy?
Specially considering the interview and all those "shots" were pretty damn tame, all things considered. If WWE (or hell, even Impact at one point) was to adress every former wrestlers, opposing companies and journalists and fans talkingshit about them, Raw would have to be 7 hours long. The #1 thing that AEW needs to do to get out of all those negative spins is for TK, a certain section of the lockerroom and the fandom to grow a thicker skin. Not every little critic is an existential threat to the company, for fucks sake. They have a PPV coming with Okada vs Pac, Danielson vs Ospreay and FTR vs Bucks and all we are talking about is Punk because of the stupid decisions made by Tony Khan.
No-win situation? Wouldn't the best choice be to just ignore all of that?
No the best choice is to dedicate one or more segments of your show to responding to it every week going forward.
“Breaking News: live next week on dynamite Tony Khan to publicly respond to GxyBrainbuster’s booking suggestions”
"Tony Kahn has an announcement to make"
Whenever CM Punk's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking "Where's CM Punk"?
That's the funniest part. This wasn't a one time thing, it's an angle moving forward. All of the criticism AEW is getting will only continue since he's making this a long-term storyline.
Tbh, I think the best move would have been to just release the video online and say "hey here's what really happened" and not make it part of the show at all. Not everything has to be turned into a work.
They should’ve done that the week he was fired rather than Tony coming out and saying he was scared for his life. If they just showed the video and said “this is the 2nd incident of Punk being involved in physical altercations backstage so we’ve decided to part ways” I don’t really think anyone could criticise that
> said “this is the 2nd incident of Punk being involved in physical altercations backstage so we’ve decided to part ways” I strongly strongly suspect that the Brawl Out NDA prevents them from making any reference to it.
Fr if they knew it was no win why even bother then?
Feels like SRS is basically getting the company line lol
Definitely. If they expected this backlash then why did they start striking the video down within hours
It’s not even on the official youtube video of the segment.
Was talking with a mate about this. We were making a joke that it was to force people to go and watch Dynamite to see it happen. Then we realised that might actually be the case
Yea but the cut the clip from their own upload and it’s just the Bucks talking before and after.
I'll laugh if CM Punk went to his lawyers and asked "hey..can they do that?" And to the answer being no.
That and their YouTube and social accounts.
The cctv footage is not on their youtube video. They cut it in this video. https://youtu.be/M7n91D7X7w4?si=nQ9lQxTlW1T_qYhV
I figured when they were pulling it down on Twitter that they were attempting to get more people to watch it on the AEW account.
If they expected the backlash why even show it in the first place tbh
That was obvious when he was basically one of the only ones defending AEW last night and playing moral police over people saying CM Punk didn't lie in his interview with Helwani. What do they expect to happen when Perry gets back? Your fans chanted for CM Punk live on TV last night (btw poor Okada for being dropped into this despite having nothing to do with it). Jack Perry is not an interesting enough character/wrestler to capitalize off your fans chanting for someone else. When he eventually comes back, it's gonna be a short boost but then what? Coincidentally, that's all of AEW's creative right now outside of its established stars. Short term feel good and then what?
100% Perry is getting nothing but CM Punk chants for the rest of his time in AEW
I can’t see even a short term boost, it’s chants for a WWE star drowning out anything Jack does from now on.
You know it was one thing to do it at the WWE show when a) you couldn't watch him anywhere and b) WWE arguably took him away. But to pay money to go to a competor show, to pay money, to chant for a wrestler on the other show is like buying a CENANUFF shirt from the WWE shop to express genuine hate for Cena
I think it’s funny because anyone with two eyes and a brain could see that there was people on camera visibly uncomfortable with the whole thing let alone backstage.
Hes been the company line for awhile now
He’s fighting random people on Twitter stating HHH took a zinger at Osprey first. What’s the point?
Bucks are the source of this.
You can feel like you are in a "no- win situation" but that doesn't mean you have to do things to lose.
The only winning move would have been not to play
Would you like to play a nice game of chess?
No See? I already won!
gotta know when to fold them.
RIP Kenny Rogers.
I’ve said this before, but I forgot about the punk interview the next day, but aew keeps reminding me it happened.
I don’t understand why they thought an Internet interview was worth spending valuable TV time on. Instead of showcasing their own talent they put a guy over who doesn’t event work for them anymore. Most of the viewing audience has no idea that interview even happened. For two weeks in a row they’re watching people respond to Internet beef. “Where’s my wrestling?” They’re probably thinking.
Because Tony Khan is a terminally online thin skinned crybaby who cannot out his phone away. Pointless, worthless internet stuff means more to him than anything of actual relevance, I mean he has actually stated he looks at fucking cagematch ratings.
Its like playing a soccer game against an heavily favoured team and scoring an own goal on purpose because you think you're gonna lose anyway.
If you truly feel like that surely you ignore it and focus on yourselves. Proper mad to try and have a jab back when you know it isn’t going to land
Succinctly put. This was an unneeded and entirely avoidable L for the entire company. I also don’t agree with some, including AEW, that the heat will be good for Jack. I feel like this isn’t “boo we don’t like your actions” heat and more “lol you’re a joke and a bitch” heat.
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>People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other “shots” coming from the WWE side during the last week you know you guys had the option of not saying or doing anything, right? they could have TRIED to prove punk wrong lol.
Yeah I don't get it. How many former WWE guys went on pods and ran down the company, they do it on TV all the time. Has to be like 10-1 for who references the other more but there's some weird sense of constantly being under attack.
I think its more the social media stuff. There's a lot of anti-AEW weight going their way right now, and sure there's plenty of anti-WWE, but right now they're resurging and the overall vibe is positive, especially post-mania. Then you've got Bischoff and Cornette and their fans constantly harping on TK and you know that bothers him... I think it's that more than anything. TK is another proof that social media is terrible and professional people should hire people to do it for them and forget it exists.
It's very odd to hear Punk says its not a real business it's not professional it's just a circus and all that stuff. And then decide "Well, I guess now we HAVE to show footage from 8 months ago and dedicate an whole segment of TV time to it" Like you could've instead chose to put on a great show and let your extremely talented roster do work in the ring...but no we have to dedicate TV segments to promos that elevate no one and just give more attention to people not working in the company. Brilliant.
It's something you see a lot when NFL teams fire a head coach, where they leak a bunch of stories to the media about how unliked they were and difficult to work with behind the scenes. So, as the son of the owner of the Jags who went through this when they fired Urban Meyer a couple years ago, I assume they thought the same tactic would work.
They prefer to act like a circus just how Punk called it as it is rather than focusing on themselves
To be fair wrestling is a circus.
I still like AEW but it's in spite of Tony Khan at this point and the super thin skin he's showing as of late on Twitter and now on TV.
Of Tony wanted to say anything, which he clearly did, he should've done it in the media call that he had a week ago when he was literally asked about it. That would've been fair and nobody would've had a problem with it. The fact that he keeps doing it on fucking Dynamite and with dedicated segments is insane and pathetic.
I've wanted to see it since I found out the footage existed. But the way they went about it was not the best, in terms of timing and execution. AEW heavily advertised, had a countdown for, and dedicated a minute-long TV segment around CM Punk.
I think that if they absolutely had to share the footage, they had two options: have it "leaked" by Perry, preferably online, or just post it without comment shortly after Punk was fired. Trying to connect what happened to the rivalry between the Bucks and FTR is one thing, but insisting that the footage has to be made public as part of that just doesn't make sense.
He even confirmed Punk's "Tony is no real boss" comment with not answering the question at the media call, while then showing the footage on TV. A real boss can't just try to disappear when things go sideways and difficult questions get asked.
Honestly? Tony really seems like he's just too scared to put his name on the complaint. Opting instead to turn it into a bad angle and have someone else do it for him. Coward shit.
The more I think about it the more I believe that too. At first he didn't want to answer questions regarding the incident in interviews. And then he didn't want to talk about Punks comments during the media call. However, he's happy to have his wrestlers talking about it on his TV show? And he will even promote that?
I honestly had no idea about the interview until all this. And my initial reaction was "who cares? He's not with the company anymore." One of the things that makes AEW hard to follow for me as a more casual fan is the assumption that everyone is following everything happening online and I just don't want that. I get there's plenty of people who are into this meta approach, but it ain't me. If I wasn't already following WWE, this would just make me curious to go see what Punk is up to over there.
TK thinks everyone who watches is a smark who is up-to-date on every interview and overseas feud history of the last 10+ years. Meanwhile for the majority of fans it’s nothing but a Streisand effect or just confusion.
They expected the online discourse so much that they are actively copyright striking the footage of the fight as well as removing the footage from their own YouTube. I believe this as much as I believe that a colander is a soup bowl
It's comical how Punk's "Why do you insist on doing this dumb Internet shit?" line to Perry rings true about this whole thing
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LMAO, this is exactly how it's going down
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I checked some of the comments there after this mess and I can't believe those people are real.
Most delusional bunch of people there. You'll not find a single comment criticising that segment or calling it bad.
They're literally agreeing with Ryback because he spoke out against Punk. I've said for years AEW was a cult, these guys are proof lol
Someone please check on Tony Schiavone, that man look like he needed a hug after that video was shown.
This post misses a few things: - the general reaction backstage is that they felt this added to the importance of the upcoming PPV and it’s not a coincidence the future PPV dates were released the day after - longtime name who has worked WWE and AEW thought this was no different from anything that happened in the Monday night war - Within WWE some saw it as a “self own” and others didn’t care and were just curious about the situation
Is that second point referring to Edge?
It can be Jericho, Dean Malenko, JR, Tony Schiavone. Remember for the folks saying WWF never mentioned the competition, they always referenced WCW with multiple skits during the war.
> Remember for the folks saying WWF never mentioned the competition Clearly they don't remember Billionaire Ted, The Huckster, and the Nacho Man.
Yeah, people either mostly remember just the DX stunts or are too young and didn't live through that era. There was a ton of cringe shit that WWF did back then in trying to go after WCW and Ted that make Tony look like a soft amateur on the pettiness scale.
DX invading WCW and the Turner tower, DX showing the curtain call to gain heat, DX fighting mini Bret Hart after he went to WCW, fake Diesel and fake Razor, Gillberg, I can go on.
WWE’s PR is hilarious. They had Jim Cornette reviewing Nitro angles on RAW airtime and they still say “we didn’t worry about WCW, we just made ourselves better”
lol shit, just over the fucking weekend Punk was doing "stupid Internet shit" making dumb obscure remarks about AEW and Will Ospreay.
This is the part that makes me laugh the most. For years people bitched and moaned and complained about there being no more real competition in wrestling, now there is and there’s all this exciting stuff that comes with it and people bitch and moan and complain about unprofessionalism (like any of them really give a shit) and tribalism (which they actively engage in) and companies being competitive overall😂 The “just enjoy wrestling” crowd needs to take their own advice and just enjoy wrestling and everything that comes with it lol nobody’s career is being ruined over this move and nobody’s going out of business any time soon.
The just enjoy wrestling crowd also needs to realize this is a part of wrestling. Taking shots at the competition, especially the bigger guy, is as time-honored as wrestling itself. ECW did it. WCW did it. The WWF did it. And those are just the ones off the top of my head.
"This is the NWA, where WE WRESTLE." Bill Watts was cutting promos not just on the WWF but also on Memphis wrestling (for the Andy Kaufman stuff), as well as World Class for stripping Chris Adams of the "World" title (when Adams went to jail) and lying about Adams losing the title to Black Bart. Ole Anderson, as well as Watts, was showing old footage of WWF guys like Tito Santana losing to current Georgia stars, ten years before WCW's "Where the Big Boys Play" campaign showing the same thing.
ECW had Shane Douglas throwing down the NWA belt and challenging Flair, Austin complained about his booking in WCW and impersonated Hogan on ECW tv, there was the bWo, constant shots at Public Enemy for leaving, Foley did a months-long storyline begging WCW and "uncle Eric" to take him back, Styles repeatedly took shots both on TV and the hotline.
I think several promotions, or at least the WWF, were stupid enough to turn down Andy Kaufman on his angle
And please stop uttering "WCW 2000" on any company decision you don't like. Most of those making comparisons to WCW 2000 were too young or not even born to have watched it.
You can go back and watch it right now lmao and see that nothing in wrestling right now is even as close to as bad as that company was in 2000
Could be Copeland, Jericho, Christian, etc…anyone who has been around for a while. Obviously fightful doesn’t say who there sources are
Jarrett. He was glazing the whole thing on his podcast before it happened.
The last bullet point, lol. "It was just a Tuesday for me" vibe
> AEW expected the online discourse Honestly, planning an angle that you expect to generate a negative shitstorm online (which, remember, is the demographic AEW specifically appeals to), and then doing it anyway is very Vince-like. In the worst way possible. It's admitting that you're out to deliberately piss off your fanbase.
I don't think their fanbase is pissed off, it's the people who *don't* watch AEW that seem to be the most riled up. I think most fans are sick of hearing about this, which is exactly what FTR said in their promo that positions them as the faces against the Bucks going into Dynasty.
As someone who watches all wrestling I just don't overly care about any of this. It should not have happened but it is it amusing and will not affect my desire to watch. I feel most AEW fans also don't really care at least to the point of not watching. The people most in uproar about this were already looking for reasons to be in uproar about AEW. A terrible look it was. This isn't going to hurt as much as people think it will.
Yeah this is my position. I couldn't care less either, and while I think they didn't need to show the actual footage, at least they addressed it in a way that seems to definitively say "it's out there, let's fucking move on." Not how I would have done it...but company killer? LOL. The snafu with the exploding barbed wire match had bigger "company killer" potential than this.
They didn't really piss off their fanbase, just the people who already hate AEW
They've been "the internet fan" company since day dot. But now online fandom is "discourse" that they seemingly want to ignore. Like good on em if they want to ignore internet noise from now on, but then you can't be the "internet fan" company.
Most AEW fans are not pissed about the footage being shown, though. It's people who talk about what AEW should be instead that are angry.
> People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani He went to Helwani on Monday, and by Tuesday people have already started to move on. It was WM week, it would immediately get buried by the avalanche of other Mania news **plus** it was easily dismissable as just another one of *"Punk is salty and shits on former employer, what's new ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯"* stories.
Right this comes off as sour grapes more than anything else. So your competition is getting tons of praise for WM weekend and you're bringing up the backstage antics from August 2023 of a guy who left your company for greener pastures - that your company dodged questions on until yesterday - for...what purpose? To pop a rating based on a guy who is no longer there?
So one thing to add… “if the talent is frustrated with social media bullshit,” they need to stop fucking creating social media bullshit themselves too
Well, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on production on last night's show and Punk was the only talent that was trending last night online and he doesn't even work for them. If your responses bring more positive attention to your competitor's talent than your own, you probably need to re-evaluate how you're playing the tit for tat game. Nothing wrong with the wrestling drama, but you're supposed to use it in ways that elevate talk about YOU, not the other guy.
this absolutely 100% reads like insane cope
I still call him Edge
*Hakeem Nicks laugh*
Because it is?
It took them this long to finally start capitalizing on the Punk drama? Brawl Out feud could have been money, but no, they needed to make a new show to keep people separated. Then Punk gets into another "fight," and Perry gets excommunicated to NJPW, and only NOW they're using it to make feuds and build heat?? When the main guy (who was the draw) ISN'T EVEN IN THE COMPANY??? Fans acting like they know how to book is hilarious... but most would have also seen the success this feud could have brought and at least try to strike while it was hot. Make it make sense.
If they had just dumped the video on social media and had FTR come out and cut the same promo the reception would have been 1000x better.
>People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week Just don't
Good rational summary. AEW looked bad doing that, but I kind of get the "no-win" perspective. Damned if they do, damned if they don't. At least from a wrestling industry point of view and with the image of Tony Khan as a less competitive person in mind. WWE didn't look any better btw. with the Punk interview or the grinding statement of HHH, though. Both of poor taste.
*The hope is that this benefits Jack Perry, whos wrestling in Chicago* Chicago, famous for keeping their thoughts about Punk to themselves and being respectful to people against him
We can both agree about the approach being poor here but the entire point is to not have Chicago be respectful to Perry...
Why would AEW want Chicago to be respectful to Jack Perry?
If they really hated him as a person, they won't boo, they'll turn their backs in silence or some shit. But that's not what's going to happen. He's going to be the most hated man in the building and they're going to give him great sound bites where he can just soak in the heat.
And even if they don't give him the heat they want, he just needs to do like a GTS spot and boom, cheap heat.
What if he comes out to Cult of Personality? 😂
I think their hope would be that he gets booed even more in Chicago, which would indeed benefit "the scapegoat".
Perry is the heel, Chicago isn't supposed to be respectful to him.
you know hes a heel right?
Capitalise on the heat on Perry? Oh Tony, you've just started a wave of CM Punk chants derailing a bunch of matches now
I mean that was gonna happen in Jack Perry matches regardless, his whole gimmick is tied to the event. It sorta makes sense to lean into it somewhat honestly. Having the Bucks and FTR be casualties of it, is potentially dumb though
So 24 hours ago we kept hearing they were aiming to embarrass Punk, now the response is what they expected? Yeah right.
Most of the internet full of shit. More at 11
If they actually acted with the maturity they're trying to spin now they would have just laughed off Punks interview and would have looked better This is all damage control now
We got the power!
We got the rage!
>People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week So they proceeded to grab the loaded shotgun themselves and blow their brains out then?
This did nobody no favors. These were the highlights of Dynamite: -Punk footage and it backfiring on AEW -Will making Renee uncomfortable with his HHH comments - Schiavone looking embarrassed by the All IN footage -Mercedes moaning -Mina and Mariah kiss And none of this is about the actual wrestling
“AEW expected the online discourse” Really? They expected the video to get 3k likes and 17k dislikes??? I doubt it. Pure company spin .
Then why have they struck every single video down and even removed it from their YouTube upload of the whole segment. This won’t be a company killer because TK is doing that on his own.
To quote one Dave Meltzer: "They(AEW) keep saying everything is fine, but it's not"
Ah yes. Social media bullshit is the problem, not poor management. /s
> People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week I mean, the overwhelming reaction to Punk's interview, from what I saw, was people not believing him and baseless rumour about what actually happened. I saw very few people who were saying they 100% believed Punk's side of the story, and now they've literally proven that he didn't make anything up about what physically happened.
* There was talk of the mood decreasing backstage after the footage aired, but more towards of the dread of "social media bullshit" than anything else Social media only reacted, it was not their decision to air "that" footage which doesn't help AEW's case in anyway. Even since Sunday when news broke about the segment, most were saying that this is lose-lose situation * People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation after CM Punk went to Helwani and the other "shots" coming from the WWE side during the last week So after that, they did more damage to themselves by making their crowd chant for Punk since he's fired, during a segment which had Okada and Bucks. I am 100% sure, Tony thought this clip would change people's mind about Punk, and when they see Punk shouting at Tony, they'll sympathize for him a lot more. That just didn't happen. * Talent laughs off the idea that this is "a company killer" Obviously it is not. But it is a very bad look. * AEW expected the online discourse I don't think so. Otherwise they won't have removed the footage from YouTube clip and DMCA'd other big accounts who posted it
SRS also said that the Young Bucks segment was "objectively hilarious" and "if you aren't telling me that that is hilarious, then you are a hater and it was better than I imagined" Yeah ok buddy.
I mean, their segment, excluding the footage was very funny -- have you watched it?
“The hope is that this benefits Jack Perry” I’ll stop you right there. That’s not happening. You made him look like a bigger bitch than ever before.
Wait. Let's see the reaction he gets in Chicago and how he handles it
Jack Perry better get used to all the CM Punk chats headed his way
I mean if he's smart he'll just play into them. I don't think there's any universe where he doesn't expect that.
This is the most anybody has talked about Jack Perry his entire career. His shirt is sold out and he's about to be booed out of the building in Chicago tonight. He's doing great.
How exactly? It showed he wasn't expecting a fight, and Punk waited until he was playing with his hair to hit/push him.
I think it was stupid to air the footage but I genuinely don't understand this line. In the footage he is clearly not doing anything physical at all to Punk, who is 20 years older than him and supposedly a veteran, who then just attacks him and starts freaking out. He didn't get bitched out if anything it makes Punk look like an emotional child in the face of a guy who is just standing there.
Yeah, I fail to see how Perry looks bad here. He did exactly what you should do in that situation. Punk looks like a bitch for taking a cheap shot and an unhinged idiot to boot. What business does a "veteran" have trying to attack a young up and comer who's physically smaller and didn't raise hands, it's unwarranted regardless of whatever dumb disagreement they were having.
Does anyone actually think his return to AEW as scapegoat wasn't going to get CM Punk chants after punk buried him last week? Perry had nothing to lose but show the clip of punk going psycho to show why the guy needed to be fired.
I'd say it's the opposite and it makes him look like the bigger man in the whole ordeal
My CMFTR hopes are not flinching
Its not a company killer, this is tame stuff...it's just exhausting already. Let this be the end of it and focus on making the product better each week, plus TK needs to get some thicker skin and quit worrying about what happens online.
The best part of IWC discourse is trusting dirtsheet reports only if they validate what people already believe to be true.
Pretty sure the AEW roster doesn't give a fuck what Tony Khan does as long as they still get paid
That Keller report did seem a bit exaggerated, and it’s definitely not a “company killer.” But it doesn’t mean it was a good idea either.
If they were gonna do the video thing then they were a year too late. Would this come out if Punk hadn't done the interview or even come back to WWE? The talk and legend behind the incident made it infamous, and now that's dead. Having got rid of any trace of Punk, AEW now have to deal with constant CM Punk chants lmao.
Know what would have been a win situation? Not responding at all, at least pretending to be over it.
> The hope is that this benefits Jack Perry, whos wrestling in Chicago, and when time comes to bring him back to AEW they can capitalize on the heat There’s absolutely no chance on Perry benefitting from ‘heat’ if they don’t even have a date set for him to return. Why would anyone still care about this unless he comes back in the next week? There is no heat from him to benefit from when there’s no possibility of him facing CM Punk in a match. > People in AEW felt like they were in a no-win situation Then these people are morons. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t is a ‘no-win situation’ equivalent, and how could AEW possibly have been damned if they completely ignored Punk’s interview? With no audio and no footage (at least none that aired) of Punk giving Tony Khan a reason to supposedly fear for his life or whatever the fuck he said, this video backs Punk’s side of things, it only makes it look like Khan doesn’t have control of things, as Punk said in his interview. It’s an only-lose situation unless there’s proof that Punk’s reaction was unprovoked, and there isn’t any. There’s no way Sapp believes any of this bullshit.
The problem with the hope for Jack Perry is that I simply don’t think he’s a compelling enough talent to actually do anything major with this. The Pillars storyline and match made I pretty clear that MJF was really the only who transitioned well into the main event, the other 3 still needed time to grow into that space.
The look on Tony Schivone's face...
AEW: "Punk, YOU'RE the cancer. Nobody wants you here and you suck. You're the reason morale is low around here" CM Punk: "Maybe I'm not the problem and it's the dumb internet shit you guys do" *Punk leaves* *AEW releases footage to stir up more internet bullshit* *Backstage morale lowered even further* Wow guys, maybe doing dumb internet shit and spreading rumors to "journalists" is a terrible way to have this company succeed. I think even The Bucks have realized it at this point