CM Punk-Jack Perry news leakers "wouldn't be in the company anymore" in a different era, says former champion

The backstage altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry at last weekend's All In event has dominated headlines, with many in AEW having expressed frustration over the drama stealing the thunder of AEW's biggest-ever show. One former champion has revealed that whoever leaked details of the incident to the press would have been fired in a previous era.

CM Punk and Jack Perry are both reportedly suspended pending an investigation by the company, with both likely to miss tomorrrow's All Out pay-per-view. Several different versions of the incident have made their way into the news, indicating that multiple witnesses have spoken to wrestling media outlets.

AEW commentator Nigel McGuinness has taken the drama in stride but regrets the situation. Speaking with Steve Fall of WrestlingNews.co, the former ROH World Champion echoed others in lamenting that the altercation has taken the conversation away from AEW's massive achievement with All In.

"Yeah, it's a complex situation, isn't it?" said McGuinness. "That's arguably the problem with social media is that a few voices can make a lot of noise. For someone who saw how much work went into that show, you know, the prestige and what it meant for not just me, but all the other people on the show, to be talking about anything other than the show, then it's a bit of a slight, certainly."

Nigel went on to confirm that it wasn't as common for witnesses to so readily leak backstage incidents to the media in the past, as they would have risked being fired:

"But listen, that's the nature of human beings. Would I prefer that, you know, if something happens backstage, it doesn't immediately go on the internet? Absolutely. You know what I mean, and there was an era and a time where if that happened, they'd have found out who did it and they wouldn't be in the company anymore. Let's put it that way. But, you know, this is a different world today. The Internet is a huge part of everything, certainly. So, at the end of the day, it is what it is." (h/t WrestlingNews.co)

---

WWE veteran says Vince McMahon would have "capitalized" on the CM Punk drama

Tony Khan has been cautious in handling the multiple backstage incidents CM Punk has been involved with since his AEW debut, but there are many who have expressed their desire for his various backstage beefs to be made into on-screen storylines.

WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long agrees. Speaking on a recent edition of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, Long opined that Vince McMahon would have utilized CM Punk's real-life altercation with Jack Perry in an angle:

"Vince would do it [put them together in the ring]. Not only does that draw money, but it draws ratings too. That does a lot of stuff for TV, but it also, if Vince did do that, I will guarantee you, he would have a conversation with both of them before they even went out there, and he would explain what's good and what's not bad. Vince would have capitalized on it. That's money right there. Like I said, we don't know whether they are working or not, but if they are, then I think they are doing a poor job of it," Long said.

---

Do you think Tony Khan should work CM Punk's backstage drama into a storyline? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.