“But it was all Punk’s fault…” – The internet reacts to rediscovered footage of The Elite during CM Punk’s AEW debut

August 20, 2021, will go down as one of the most significant days in the history of AEW. This date marked "The First Dance," CM Punk's debut for the promotion in his hometown of Chicago. While the story might not have ended how people would have wanted, perhaps the writing was already on the wall, and The Elite had foreshadowed the chaos and ill feelings that were to follow.

In a recently revived clip from The Elite's YouTube show Being The Elite, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks can be seen jokingly mocking CM Punk as he hits the AEW for the very first time.

It is fairly evident that the former Trios World Champions are simply having a bit of fun, acting jealous, in a sense, that the spotlight is being so heavily focused on the newcomer. But in reality, they would eventually develop a genuinely hostile relationship with the Second City Saint, giving this BTE skit a new perspective in hindsight.

Many fans were quick to notice the tragic irony in this footage. Some noted how this makes the entire debacle that unfolded over the last two years somewhat more humorous, while others argued that the rediscovery of this video makes the situation all that more saddening:

Following Punk's now-well-documented backstage brawl with The Elite at AEW All Out 2022, he received a suspension from the promotion and was not seen for the better part of a year.

He would eventually return to AEW on the premiere episode of Collision only to be involved in another backstage incident, this time with Jack Perry at All In 2023. Following this, CM Punk was released from the promotion.

---

Tony Khan allegedly "had tears in his eyes" after addressing CM Punk's firing at an AEW show

Throughout CM Punk's run in AEW, Tony Khan was a staunch advocate for the Straight-Edge Superstar. However, it appears that the backstage incident at All In and the fact that Khan felt as though his "life was in danger" was enough for the boss to let go of one of his top stars.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk podcast, Dutch Mantell revealed that he heard a rumor of Tony Khan being in tears after addressing Punk's dismissal from the company at a recent episode of Collision:

“I heard that he got, and I don’t know if this is true or not, [...] he went into the back and I heard he had tears in his eyes. Tony, come on, brother. Please. I mean, that’s embarrassing. That embarrasses me,” Mantell said. [03:15 - 04:04]

While this rumor is still unconfirmed, it stands to reason that Khan would be rather upset about everything that has transpired over the past few weeks. The fact that he addressed the situation in front of an unforgiving, hostile Chicago crowd certainly did not help matters.