Expectedly, topics surrounding CM Punk came up when AEW’s Tony Khan held a media call on Thursday.
Ahead of this weekend’s Dynasty pay-per-view event, Khan was asked about a wide range of topics. This included AEW’s choice to use footage from a backstage altercation last year between Punk and Jack Perry, which took place at All In 2023.
The footage aired as part of a rivalry between The Young Bucks and FTR, with the Bucks arguing that their role as EVPs in the company caused them to get distracted after issues with talent backstage, in turn causing them to lose against FTR.
AEW has been criticized for airing the footage as part of a storyline. When asked by Dominic DeAngelo of AdFreeShows.com about the decision to show the video just over a week ago, Khan expressed no regrets.
“When TBS called me and told me ‘Good job,’ you have to remember that I’m responsible for everybody’s jobs in the company,” Khan said. “And it is really important for us to please the network, and TBS was really happy with that show and that performance. That’s the most important thing. Our fan feedback on the show that we got, the rating is the number one source of fan feedback. And the network, they were incredibly pleased. It was over 400,000 viewers in the 18-49 demographic, and that was a strong performance. And that is how TBS judges the show, and how TBS judges the show is the most important metric I have for the performance. And then, the fan reception: Last night, we had an amazing crowd. The fans were rabid, they were really excited, they were red hot, in particular for that match involving The Young Bucks and FTR … I do think that what we did last week added a lot of intrigue.”
Khan was later asked about Punk once again, this time mentioning comments that the now-WWE talent made during a recent appearance on the MMA Hour.
In the interview just a few weeks back, Punk alleged that he booked and paid for his own surgery after suffering a torn tricep at All Out 2022. Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics asked Khan if this was true.
Khan said that he would have to look into whether that happened, mentioning that the company usually foots the bill for medical expenses to treat injuries that emerge from matches.
“We typically do pay those expenses,” Khan said. “I’d have to look into that. We can’t say for sure. It doesn’t sound right to me. If that is the case, then I would reimburse him, honestly. I didn’t think that was the case and it doesn’t sound right, so I would have to look into that. Good question, but typically we do cover those medical expenses, especially for something that occurred in the ring, as that did. So, I would have to look into that. But no, I’m not sure about that. I can’t say for sure.”
