NIRVANA COULDN’T LAST. All Elite Wrestling was born out of a shared vision of corporate independence, creative collaboration, and a workplace where politicking would be kept to a minimum. Cody Rhodes, Nick & Matt Jackson, and Kenny Omega became executive vice presidents of a company where they hoped to foster such an environment. In Tony Khan, they found a compassionate financial backer who wanted to put people first.
No one could have predicted the implosion that has rocked AEW. It started slowly, then happened suddenly, first with Rhodes accepting a big-money offer to return to WWE amid reports that he had been eased out of the AEW hierarchy. Then came the pipe bomb known as CM Punk, who went on a 20-minute tirade during the post-All Out media scrum on September 4.
For a man who had just won the AEW World championship, Punk was in a foul mood. He immediately targeted Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc., prodding him about former friend Colt Cabana and alleging that wrestling media helped spread certain falsehoods. Punk and Cabana had been good friends, and their relationship deteriorated amidst legal issues.
Punk said AEW’s “EVPs couldn’t manage a Target” because they were “thinking they’re still in Reseda,” referring to the Young
