AEW deliberately removed CM Punk references for "fear of legal reprisal" - Reports

AEW President Tony Khan has been criticized for not talking about what really happened between CM Punk and The Elite, but according to a report, it seems that his silence is due to fears of legal action.

For months, Khan and any members of the roster would avoid questions surrounding details about the "Brawl Out Incident." A report sometime after the incident alleged that one party was seeking legal action, and now in this updated report, it seems that it was CM Punk all along.

Speaking on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that AEW filmed interviews where The Elite spoke about the incident, but despite not naming CM Punk, these were heavily edited.

"They did interviews, they talked about it. They never mentioned Punk’s name, because they weren’t allowed to mention his name, but they did interviews to beat around the bush on the story. Even that was edited out, because of the fear of legal reprisal. The biggest issue isn’t even Tony, and it isn’t most of the guys. It is the legal threats and because of what those are, Tony is playing it very careful." (H/T Ringisde News)

It's currently still unclear on what grounds Punk could have taken legal action against the promotion, but according to another report, it seems that at least one person in The Elite camp is willing to apologize.

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Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results right here.

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CM Punk's first AEW opponent could possibly be his older rival Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe and CM Punk had a memorable feud during their ROH days, and many fans of the time often praised their matches online. Unfortunately, the two missed each other in WWE, and despite both now being signed to AEW they haven't officially had a match since 2005.

According to a Fightful Select report, despite having positive talks with Chris Jericho about kicking off a feud upon his rumored return, The Second City Saint is more interested in revisiting his rivalry with Samoa Joe.

It remains to be seen if the old rivals will clash one more time in AEW, but considering their history an initial feud might be better for both stars. CM Punk and Chris Jericho could still clash afterward. Considering how elaborate his feud with Adam Cole is becoming, it might be best for him to finish that story first.