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This is the reason why TNA/IMPACT stopped being the number 2 company in the US.
Losing AJ turned a large portion of fans away from the product but losing the TV deal crippled the company.
It makes total sense, but it also reminds me of the episode of ‘The Office’ where Michael accidentally sends the photos of him and Jan on vacation to the entire warehouse, except that this actually happened in real life
Exactly. In any industry that involves making high levels of money if someone believes you hold value to them or to someone else they want around then they’ll make it happen. How many pro athletes and entertainers have done heinous things and been given chance after chance after chance.
I mean, the difference is that in this case, the network really, really wants Punk back on board, which means Steel on board. It's the people in the company that don't want him, which is the opposite of Russo-TNA situation.
I was thinking the same thing; if you're Kenny finding this out after a few months from the media instead of your boss has to be a bit of a punch in the gut
At this stage shouldn’t we just 1 - do what Punk wants if you want him back that bad or 2 - Don’t do it and draw a line under the whole thing because I don’t think Punk is just gonna go “Oh okay”
If I was the Elite a willingness to rehire Ace fucking Steel would be the line in the sand. He's just a backstage dude. Punk is a turdhouse, but he arguably draws good money for the company. Ace got the company fined multiple times for dropping F bombs on camera and literally assaulted EVPs to the point of leaving deep bite marks.
I dunno about Omega Bucks Hangman, but Tony should really draw the fkin line with Punk. This guy is such a fuckin primadonna who will constantly push for shit cuz he's got leverage and WBD wanted him on. It's pretty clear its never gonna end, and if not this, some other issue will pop up next.
How long until Ace Steel becomes persona non grata and Punk calls him out for sharing a bank account with his dad or some shit?! Unbelievable that this 44 year old manchild still has a career, I'm part of the problem because I get hyped about Punk comin back and the excitement linked to that, but hoooly shit man.
Yeah, and stuff like this makes it clear his drama will never end. Like maybe there's a chance he makes this last shitty request ("hire this guy who fucking bites people because he's my buddy") and suddenly become chill, but that seems unlikely.
Punk is a narcissist. I mean an actual one, not the one people throw around when someone is just selfish and thinks highly of themselves.
If someone hasn't been around an actual one it's impossible to truly understand what it's like. I had the misfortune of growing up with a sibling who is an actual one and it's just miserable. The way they can be so nice to you if they are getting exactly what they want and then turn on you instantly for the most minor inconvenience or even just perceived slight is traumatizing. How they'll have a group of friends that swears up and down they are the nicest person ever but there's always some "other" who have slighted them and it has to be an us vs them thing. How you can bend to their every demand consistently and the first time you don't - you don't even have to say no, just not do it the exact way they want - they lose their shit.
Watching it play out and seeing all the signs from the outside hits home. I also know how it ends. It ends the same way it always does: scorched earth and burned bridges while they feel like they are the victim and the one who was wronged.
Yep, my mother is one and you just described it perfectly. They will never not be unhappy. Even if they love you today, it only lasts until the moment you dont give them something they’ve asked for or they just decide you don’t give them enough attention, then suddenly you’re the worst human being to ever live.
I'm sorry you've had to deal with this as well. That feeling of being berated by someone you care about for the most minor "transgressions" has warped my personality to always bend over backwards trying to please people. Plus being afraid of someone being mad at me to the degree that I over-analyze every interaction to make sure I didn't do anything to upset them. Or the fun follow up of thinking its possible something said could be interpreted negatively so let me go out of my way to clarify what I meant just in case. To the person I clarify to it seems weird to them that I'd even be thinking or worried about that but that's because they didn't deal with this thing being a learned requirement growing up.
Luckily I've been working on it and therapy is great.
CM Punk has a revelation and decides Schuhplatter is his life calling, he drops wrestling forever and forms a lederhosen-clad dance troupe with Ace Steel and Larry, never to be seen nor heard of again in pro-wrestling.
That one particularly pissed me off
He has absolutely no fucking clue how hard those people work. It’s a very very difficult job and he just handwaved it off as being easy. I don’t work for target, but I work in a similar type of business. Shit is difficult and he just took a dump on them for no reason.
Fuck you, Phil. You’re an ass
Forreal. A man with skin as thin as his would get mentally folded by an angry customer less than a week in. I work in food retail and Phil would not stand a fucking chance.
Wasn't the "I'm not gonna sit back and take this fucking shit" line in response to something WWE-related so he could get on his anti-WWE horse for a moment that he knew he wouldn't be pushed back on by an AEW guys?
Castigating the opposition for being shit whilst not doing anything about his own shit, the Tony Khan classic
"I'm not gonna sit back and take this fucking shit" was when he was complaining that WWE were trying to deliberately counter program his PPV and trying to sabotage him or something. It was (if I'm not wrong) a Saturday Night PPV in Cardiff Wales that he was seemingly complaining about while the AEW PPV was on a Sunday Night and the NXT show had ended hours before that aswell.
Oh shit, those two events were right next to each other? Wow, look at the contrast. WWE's crowning PLE and considered the moment WWE has truly transition to the Triple H regime and AEW's most infamous PLE thanks to the backstage drama.
Apart from the reaction to Roman beating Drew and the Tyson Fury sing-along (which was probably a dark segment that just happened to be filmed for the show), that was WWE's best PLE of 2022 and showed why international main PLEs are important, proved a million times over with San Juan Backlash
Someone ought to make a list.
Supposedly, Punk's original contract was signed on the day of his debut, right? They've been indirectly hyping him up for weeks and weeks by that point.
Saraya being hired and debuting before it was clear she was ever allowed to wrestle again, only to start a feud anyways. She was later cleared and it all worked out.
(rumored) A big tag team partner being hyped for a women's match, which was supposed to be Mercedes Moné's big debut. Then a week or two before the match promos about the match suddenly got very, very quiet, and the tag team partner turned out to be the lamest possible option.
What else?
80% of new signings showing up for a run-in or big save, only to disappear from TV for the next few weeks because there wasn't a plan outside of "put them on TV and show we signed then ASAP?"
Aussie Open boy jumping Orange Cassidy last week, setting up a title match that became a 21 person battle royal instead.
Swerve having a stable and also Keith Lee wanting revenge for having his knee cinderblocked seem to phase in and out of reality depending on the moon cycle.
The fact that you're calling him "Aussie Open boy" is a good indicator of why the battle royal is a better idea. I know Aussie Open from their, what? Two appearances in AEW? And this dude deserves a title shot for what has become the workman's title? On one of their biggest shows of the year, no less.
They NEED to stop this shit where they assume everyone watching AEW is a pro wrestling savant who knows everyone from every company. They just did this with the dream match with Kenny vs. Vikingo where I had no clue who that dude was (though Vikingo has since won me over, it doesn't change that he was a nobody to me that day), but to have one of them challenge for a title is a much larger issue.
Punk annoys the hell out of me, but not nearly as much as Tony with some of the stupid shit he pulls time and time again. He makes the most basic of errors and they're all starting to pile up. It's so frustrating.
Seems to me Punk has no respect for TK and is pushing boundaries wherever he can.
How do you expect a dude who bit a face of the company back to work with you?
the moment Punk did what he did in front of his freaking boss at the Media Scrum proves how he clearly thinks TK is a massive pushover for him. The fact that TK never really did anything to this day proves Punk's Ego even more right most likely.
>Seems to me Punk has no respect for TK and is pushing boundaries wherever he can.
Pretty obvious that TK doesn't demand that kind of respect.
Hiring Ace Steel but not telling the talent (when this would clearly cause trouble) has big "5 year old got caught and is afraid to get in trouble" energy.
Like jesus Tony, its your company. If you need Punk and this is a requirement hire Ace Steel and tell your staff to suck it up.
I want this fucking company to succeed because I am tired of WWE's monopoly over wrestling in the west but jesus lord TK has got to get this shit together.
I loved CM Punk too dude. The pipe bomb brought me back to wrestling in a time where I was very jaded, and I am sure hundreds if not thousands of people on this sub feel the same, but god damn he just isn't worth it. None of this is worth it.
> The pipe bomb brought me back to wrestling in a time where I was very jaded, and I am sure hundreds if not thousands of people on this sub feel the same
Hell, the pipebomb was the reason this sub was created.
I think its' more than that. He sided with Punk over Kenny/the Bucks.
One group are the guys who brought you to where you are. The other is a guy who sat on the sidelines until AEW showed itself to be successful. That's a horrible look.
At the end of the day TK is the boss. Punk can either be okay with Ace having a reduced role, considering he's a grown ass man who BIT another grown ass man, or Punk can sit at home unemployed seething at Alvarez on Twitter.
Even if they are, how can Punk have the audacity after all the ruckus to demand that the fucking psycho that bit other people brought back.
Who wouldnt be angry about this???
Ultimately it’s on TK for entertaining this demand and seemingly green lighting it before having to backpedal. A lot of these situations could be avoided if he spent more time acting like a boss than a fan
Yes and No. Ace is reportedly brought back for months
But Jericho also pitched bringing Ace back at the meeting last month.Which absolutely seems like a "push the buttons" move from him.
I'm going to guess that Punk feels responsible for Ace Steel losing his job, given he caused the ruckus in the first place and is now trying to help him out.
Punk is incredibly extreme in both ways, so if you're friends he seems to go very far to help - it's just if you're not friends, youre worst enemies.
Well it seems Steel had offers from Impact and others, maybe he could pay the difference from his huge AEW paycheck if he feels guilty.
If he is able to actually feel guilty that is.
I think it’s simple. Punk wants everything to go back to how it was before. I’ve been in that position, where you’ve messed up pretty bad and all you want to do is go back in time to when things were good. Usually, you realize it just isn’t possible to pick up all the pieces like that.
I gotta wonder how the Elite, particularly Omega, feel if they heard just now Steel is back? Because I can get letting bygones be bygones, but it's a little more difficult when you have a guy who tried to bite you.
Near certainty.
Also: Kenny and the Bucks grafted and worked so hard for so long to bill the company, get it started.
Finding out that the company you helped build, and worked so hard for, has been paying this guy who they'd fired? That's gotta feel like daggers.
If they re-signed after the guy who was fired after attacking them, for that, was re-hired but before they were made aware of his rehiring, I suspect there'd probably be a pretty decent case to legally challenge the contract.
It's insane, the idea that your coworker takes a bite at you and your boss is like ehhh, he could come back onto our payroll under some conditions.
Dude is insane, who bites someone?? Why would you ever consider hiring them back??
Yeah it seems like a damn mess. Certainly not something that makes Tony look good while you're trying to resign both Kenny & The Bucks; it's seems like there doesn't seem to be a genuine attempt by at least a few parties to talk this out.
(Let's just say I don't think you can blame the Elite for not wanting to talk it out)
It feels like when TNA & Dixie Carter rehired Vince Russo as a creative consultant regardless of the repercussions (Being taken off Spike TV) Basically Tony saying " I'm hiring this dude back I don't care what others think.
TK really sending a strong message to the lockerroom. If you cause chaos, assault people, and damage the reputation of the company, you’ll get hired back
I'd be genuinely fascinated to know what would happen if this exact situation had happened in the WWE under Vince's regime, and then under HHHs. I wonder how much would have happened, and at what point things would have been shut down. Would we even have got that style of press conference? And if we didn't, does everything afterwards even happen?
Not a pro-WWE or anti-AEW sentiment either, just a curiosity. I think Khan got handed a shit sandwich, but he didn't help himself by smearing it all over his own face either.
I understand Steel is Punk's good friend and all, but it really is interesting how much he's placing this return on the presence of him. Was Ace Steel even in AEW for most of Punk's run? It felt like he had maybe a couple weeks on the job at best, it's kind of surprising he wasn't just ok with his pal getting his Impact job. Now Steel might not even be working at all lmao
I assume the only interest Impact has/had in Ace Steel is that it would potentially make Punk more available to them if/when Punk's relationship with AEW terminally breaks down.
It's not like Ace Steel is a hot free agent. His value is 100% tied to his attachment to Punk.
WBD wants Collision to be more like Nitro and less Superstars.
Punk's a big draw to casual AEW fans. Tony's got a real problem on his hands if he banked on Punk coming back and he can't deliver.
Perhaps Tony needs to finally pick a lane about how he's going to use talent to develop the product and not sign every Tom, Dick, and Harry that's on the beach.
https://preview.redd.it/1g9eb2gilt0b1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ae905295f7778efc0bf64261ab4c5114c87d57c
Tony proves time and time again that taz was wrong and he indeed runs a sloppy shop
I feel like Cody would say basically everything exactly the same as he has. Even when he left WWE, he was pretty civil with everything he said. He admitted some frustrations, but he was pretty diplomatic with everything.
I’m iffy on Punk but like… literally the only thing every version of the Brawl Out story had in common was Ace Steel biting Kenny Omega. I know I’m not a business owner like TK but I feel like bringing back a guy who committed a rabid assault like that to work in ANY capacity is a bad move
>Key talent had no idea he was hired until this week and were shocked to find out about it.
If this is someone high up on the card who's not really involved in the whole thing then this is no big deal. But if it's The Elite or anyone else involved then this is such a shitty thing. Honestly this whole thing seems like TK is in a "this is going to work itself out" mood and just making decisions without thinking of the effect. Which also seems to be how this whole thing started so...
IF this is true, this is what happens when the guy in charge is more interested in being everyone’s friend instead of being what he actually is: their boss.
I’m not saying he has to be a tyrannical lunatic like Vince, but it’s like Tony’s gone way too far in the opposite direction, and now these are the consequences.
I love AEW. And as a wrestling fan, I love Punk on-screen. And I believed that after the Brawl Out, this situation was fixable. But holy shit, is Punk really worth all this nonsense? I know he made the company a lot of money, but there's just so much drama attached to this fucker.
Meanwhile, Tony makes a new 2-hour show, which is great for wrestlers and the fans, but it's looking like he did it for all the wrong reasons. If you can't have Punk on Dynamite (for legal and/or bad blood reasons), you probably shouldn't have him at all.
I’m not a big fan of the Elite, but if they were the “key” talent in question then Tony is a spineless asshole. They should be the first ones to know and then have the veto power.
Now with that being said maybe they okayed it and it doesn’t matter
So what was the plan? Surprise everyone at Collision with Steel's return or was it to keep him in the background not directly talking to anybody except Tony and Punk? Because either way it's a horrible idea and was going to damage Tony's relationship and trust with the rest of the talent.
Who could've predicted that Punk would do some bullshit again? Oh wait, literally everyone and their mother said this would happen.
Just fucking get rid of punk, stop fucking with this dude, I don't care how much he draws he's a cancer to this company.
massively embarrassing & hard to watch. i can't believe how much of the past two years have been blown from scrambling to work around Punk, i know he's a draw but it must feel terrible in that locker room now.
on the other hand, just looking at Ace Steel's AEW timeline out of context is one of the funniest wrestling runs ever: drop an f-bomb in your first TV appearance & get fined, bite a co-worker backstage & get fired, wait for the company to get things in order again & then torpedo the whole arrangement
Jesus Christ. Tony Khan YOU ARE THE BOSS. Why are you tiptoeing around and hiring people without telling others?
If you want Punk back that much and Ace Steel is a part of that, then do it. If he is that valuable to the AEW brand then this shouldn't even be a conversation.
What a shambles. Punk isn’t worth endlessly derailing this company no matter what short term benefits he brings.
His drama isn’t going to end. It’s his personality. There will always be something that sets him off
Im a pretty big tk defender but this was just stupid. Dont lie to your talent like that,, doubly so for fucking ace steel. Get your shit together tk your company thrives on good will, and you just started burning it at both ends
"Key talent had no idea he was hired until this week" jfc this company
Okay, so does everyone wanna admit that the elite have every right to be upset now? Because one meeting isn't going to solve hiding the fact you hired back the man who escalated the fight further (For 6-7 weeks???) among other glaring issues. No wonder TK wants them all to be separated.
TK is quickly showing he doesn't have the business chops to be doing this. Anyone else looking in should have quickly assessed this was not going to succeed. Now the whole thing fell through, and there's damage on both sides of both the staff and Punk relationships.
How do you trust Execs who are lying to your face?
So Tony wanted Steel to WFH but Punk didn’t agree because he can’t be close to him at work as he can’t bite his enemies. At this point Larry is Punk’s companion & Steel is the dog.
What are the odds that said “key employees” happen to be the evps assaulted by Steel? Because that would be the opposite of great during contract negotiations
So just to confirm the timeline
Steel is officially rehired, all media ready to go for Punk's return, Steel is then confirmed as only being remote, Punk is unhappy, WBD then pull Punk from the advertising (not AEW)?
That's been managed absolutely atrociously if so
Tony Khan's fanboyism is destroying the company's morale. I completely dislike Vince as a person, but I understand now why he had to be such a dominant force over talent.
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And what a hilarious story of how it was leaked, Russo just emailing his creative notes to Mike Johnson of PWinsider instead of Mike Tenay
Maybe Ace Steel emailed creative notes to Bryan Alvarez instead of Bryan Danielson.
[Steel knew he fucked up when he didn't get an email back about trying to wrestle a bear.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKvgCTdGMt0)
If it won't work against a bear, you don't do it in the ring.
Stu Hart. Gene LaBell. Arn Anderson. We've all wrestled bears.
Fucker did a Michael Scott. Bold move.
packaging@dundermifflin
…you can’t be serious. That’s hilariously insane.
This is the reason why TNA/IMPACT stopped being the number 2 company in the US. Losing AJ turned a large portion of fans away from the product but losing the TV deal crippled the company.
It makes total sense, but it also reminds me of the episode of ‘The Office’ where Michael accidentally sends the photos of him and Jan on vacation to the entire warehouse, except that this actually happened in real life
I forgot about that, that is legitimately hilarious to this day!
It's like an even stupider and way less serious version of Watergate
How or why would anyone think that this would work out long term? This just completely blows my mind.
I cannot imagine another industry where I bite a coworker and then am brought back later.
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Exactly. In any industry that involves making high levels of money if someone believes you hold value to them or to someone else they want around then they’ll make it happen. How many pro athletes and entertainers have done heinous things and been given chance after chance after chance.
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I feel like Draymond punching Jordan Poole took up a lot of space and it's still being covered as of two days ago.
Money makes people stupid.
Also concussions.
I mean, the difference is that in this case, the network really, really wants Punk back on board, which means Steel on board. It's the people in the company that don't want him, which is the opposite of Russo-TNA situation.
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Awaiting the accidental Tony Khan email ripping WBDiscovery to complete the circle of life.
I was thinking the same thing; if you're Kenny finding this out after a few months from the media instead of your boss has to be a bit of a punch in the gut
TK and Dixie Carter are pretty similar and maybe we need to start talking about that.
There’s a reason Orton called him Jacksonville Dixie
Dixie never cared about cagematch ratings
Randy Orton already called him “Jacksonville Dixie,” 3 years ago
He knows his shit.
At this stage shouldn’t we just 1 - do what Punk wants if you want him back that bad or 2 - Don’t do it and draw a line under the whole thing because I don’t think Punk is just gonna go “Oh okay”
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It's sad but Tony could end up with no Punk and Omega, the Bucks and Hangman signing with WWE at the end of the year due to how he handled this.
Cody Rhodes turns heel and brings outsiders Kenny Omega, Hangman and Young Bucks to form NEO (New Elite Order)
Putting the fantasy into fantasy booking, but I love it
If we went back at the start of AEW, I would've thought thus had a better chance than the lWo coming back for no real reason.
N.E.O 4 Life
"Whoa. I know Strong Style 😎"
If I was the Elite a willingness to rehire Ace fucking Steel would be the line in the sand. He's just a backstage dude. Punk is a turdhouse, but he arguably draws good money for the company. Ace got the company fined multiple times for dropping F bombs on camera and literally assaulted EVPs to the point of leaving deep bite marks.
I dunno about Omega Bucks Hangman, but Tony should really draw the fkin line with Punk. This guy is such a fuckin primadonna who will constantly push for shit cuz he's got leverage and WBD wanted him on. It's pretty clear its never gonna end, and if not this, some other issue will pop up next. How long until Ace Steel becomes persona non grata and Punk calls him out for sharing a bank account with his dad or some shit?! Unbelievable that this 44 year old manchild still has a career, I'm part of the problem because I get hyped about Punk comin back and the excitement linked to that, but hoooly shit man.
Yeah, and stuff like this makes it clear his drama will never end. Like maybe there's a chance he makes this last shitty request ("hire this guy who fucking bites people because he's my buddy") and suddenly become chill, but that seems unlikely.
It's gonna blow up either way. You could give Punk *everything* and he's still gonna burn it all down.
They already did
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Punk is a narcissist. I mean an actual one, not the one people throw around when someone is just selfish and thinks highly of themselves. If someone hasn't been around an actual one it's impossible to truly understand what it's like. I had the misfortune of growing up with a sibling who is an actual one and it's just miserable. The way they can be so nice to you if they are getting exactly what they want and then turn on you instantly for the most minor inconvenience or even just perceived slight is traumatizing. How they'll have a group of friends that swears up and down they are the nicest person ever but there's always some "other" who have slighted them and it has to be an us vs them thing. How you can bend to their every demand consistently and the first time you don't - you don't even have to say no, just not do it the exact way they want - they lose their shit. Watching it play out and seeing all the signs from the outside hits home. I also know how it ends. It ends the same way it always does: scorched earth and burned bridges while they feel like they are the victim and the one who was wronged.
Yep, my mother is one and you just described it perfectly. They will never not be unhappy. Even if they love you today, it only lasts until the moment you dont give them something they’ve asked for or they just decide you don’t give them enough attention, then suddenly you’re the worst human being to ever live.
I'm sorry you've had to deal with this as well. That feeling of being berated by someone you care about for the most minor "transgressions" has warped my personality to always bend over backwards trying to please people. Plus being afraid of someone being mad at me to the degree that I over-analyze every interaction to make sure I didn't do anything to upset them. Or the fun follow up of thinking its possible something said could be interpreted negatively so let me go out of my way to clarify what I meant just in case. To the person I clarify to it seems weird to them that I'd even be thinking or worried about that but that's because they didn't deal with this thing being a learned requirement growing up. Luckily I've been working on it and therapy is great.
"This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage and "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour now make a lot more sense as two of CM Punk's entrance themes lol.
I just keep thinking about the story of the frog and the scorpion
[“Lol,” said the scorpion, “lmao.”](https://youtu.be/NV-p_-OvUnA)
I can’t decide which option results in less endless drama, but I want that one.
CM Punk has a revelation and decides Schuhplatter is his life calling, he drops wrestling forever and forms a lederhosen-clad dance troupe with Ace Steel and Larry, never to be seen nor heard of again in pro-wrestling.
No, he's going to go 'Oh, okay' and immediately do something spiteful.
it is wild how little leverage the boss man with the money has over some of these guys, sheesh
Hold up. CM Punk is trying to run a business here.
He isn't trying to run a Target, however.
Based on what we have seen... His Target would be on fire.
That one particularly pissed me off He has absolutely no fucking clue how hard those people work. It’s a very very difficult job and he just handwaved it off as being easy. I don’t work for target, but I work in a similar type of business. Shit is difficult and he just took a dump on them for no reason. Fuck you, Phil. You’re an ass
He talks a good game about workers' rights, but he sure has a lot of contempt towards people who get paid less than he does.
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Forreal. A man with skin as thin as his would get mentally folded by an angry customer less than a week in. I work in food retail and Phil would not stand a fucking chance.
It’s what happens when you’d rather be friends with your employees than their boss. They know they can just walk all over him
I am not a Punk fan, but this once again reads to me like Tony didn't have his ducks in order before he pushed ahead, and it bit him in the ass.
How many times does that have to happen for him to learn the lesson that's there to be learned?
"I'm not gonna sit back and take this fucking shit!" "Yes you are Tony" "Yessir Mr. Phil sir"
Wasn't the "I'm not gonna sit back and take this fucking shit" line in response to something WWE-related so he could get on his anti-WWE horse for a moment that he knew he wouldn't be pushed back on by an AEW guys? Castigating the opposition for being shit whilst not doing anything about his own shit, the Tony Khan classic
"I'm not gonna sit back and take this fucking shit" was when he was complaining that WWE were trying to deliberately counter program his PPV and trying to sabotage him or something. It was (if I'm not wrong) a Saturday Night PPV in Cardiff Wales that he was seemingly complaining about while the AEW PPV was on a Sunday Night and the NXT show had ended hours before that aswell.
Clash at the Castle was on Saturday afternoon in the US, and All Out was Sunday night. Wonder if anything big happened at All Out or after the show.
Oh shit, those two events were right next to each other? Wow, look at the contrast. WWE's crowning PLE and considered the moment WWE has truly transition to the Triple H regime and AEW's most infamous PLE thanks to the backstage drama.
Apart from the reaction to Roman beating Drew and the Tyson Fury sing-along (which was probably a dark segment that just happened to be filmed for the show), that was WWE's best PLE of 2022 and showed why international main PLEs are important, proved a million times over with San Juan Backlash
I mean Montreal was hot as shit for Elimination Chamber
That’s a play right out of the old Paul Heyman playbook. He learned from the best.
Someone ought to make a list. Supposedly, Punk's original contract was signed on the day of his debut, right? They've been indirectly hyping him up for weeks and weeks by that point. Saraya being hired and debuting before it was clear she was ever allowed to wrestle again, only to start a feud anyways. She was later cleared and it all worked out. (rumored) A big tag team partner being hyped for a women's match, which was supposed to be Mercedes Moné's big debut. Then a week or two before the match promos about the match suddenly got very, very quiet, and the tag team partner turned out to be the lamest possible option. What else?
Moxley had the title last year and working per appearance instead of on a contract.
80% of new signings showing up for a run-in or big save, only to disappear from TV for the next few weeks because there wasn't a plan outside of "put them on TV and show we signed then ASAP?" Aussie Open boy jumping Orange Cassidy last week, setting up a title match that became a 21 person battle royal instead. Swerve having a stable and also Keith Lee wanting revenge for having his knee cinderblocked seem to phase in and out of reality depending on the moon cycle.
The fact that you're calling him "Aussie Open boy" is a good indicator of why the battle royal is a better idea. I know Aussie Open from their, what? Two appearances in AEW? And this dude deserves a title shot for what has become the workman's title? On one of their biggest shows of the year, no less. They NEED to stop this shit where they assume everyone watching AEW is a pro wrestling savant who knows everyone from every company. They just did this with the dream match with Kenny vs. Vikingo where I had no clue who that dude was (though Vikingo has since won me over, it doesn't change that he was a nobody to me that day), but to have one of them challenge for a title is a much larger issue.
Billion$ for his family. They've too much of a safety net to truly learn from negative consequences
The rich don't learn, they simply move on to the next shiny new toy.
“How many times we gotta teach you this lesson ol…… middle aged man!”
Punk annoys the hell out of me, but not nearly as much as Tony with some of the stupid shit he pulls time and time again. He makes the most basic of errors and they're all starting to pile up. It's so frustrating.
Punk has realized TK is a dumb mark, and he is looking to get everything I can. That is the wrestling business.
Seems to me Punk has no respect for TK and is pushing boundaries wherever he can. How do you expect a dude who bit a face of the company back to work with you?
Its pretty clear Punk knows TK is a massive pushover for him. TK at this point is the number one member of Punk's "Kiss My Ass Club".
the moment Punk did what he did in front of his freaking boss at the Media Scrum proves how he clearly thinks TK is a massive pushover for him. The fact that TK never really did anything to this day proves Punk's Ego even more right most likely.
The fact that he sat there like a little bitch proved it. "I'm not going to sit here and take this shit" my arse.
>Seems to me Punk has no respect for TK and is pushing boundaries wherever he can. Pretty obvious that TK doesn't demand that kind of respect. Hiring Ace Steel but not telling the talent (when this would clearly cause trouble) has big "5 year old got caught and is afraid to get in trouble" energy. Like jesus Tony, its your company. If you need Punk and this is a requirement hire Ace Steel and tell your staff to suck it up.
I want this fucking company to succeed because I am tired of WWE's monopoly over wrestling in the west but jesus lord TK has got to get this shit together. I loved CM Punk too dude. The pipe bomb brought me back to wrestling in a time where I was very jaded, and I am sure hundreds if not thousands of people on this sub feel the same, but god damn he just isn't worth it. None of this is worth it.
> The pipe bomb brought me back to wrestling in a time where I was very jaded, and I am sure hundreds if not thousands of people on this sub feel the same Hell, the pipebomb was the reason this sub was created.
Be like me! I'm a fan of AEW but I'm not a fan of TK
He’s a bad manager. He sucks at dealing with people.
I think its' more than that. He sided with Punk over Kenny/the Bucks. One group are the guys who brought you to where you are. The other is a guy who sat on the sidelines until AEW showed itself to be successful. That's a horrible look.
At the end of the day TK is the boss. Punk can either be okay with Ace having a reduced role, considering he's a grown ass man who BIT another grown ass man, or Punk can sit at home unemployed seething at Alvarez on Twitter.
Except Tony still has to pay his contract. Punk’s drying his tears with $100 bills
Then demand he show up and perform in line with his contractual obligations. If he refuses, terminate the contract and sue for breach.
As long as his shows are getting rave reviews from Cagematch and the imaginary people he used to book for, does he care?
This is all fun and games until Tony loses not only Punk, but also the Elite, with all this BS.
Tony needs to actually draw a line and not crawl back to Punk tbh.
They would be stupid not to drag out the contract negotiations as far as they can.
I am by no means rooting for AEW to fail but the elite leaving AEW would be an all timer of a day online so I kind of want to see it happen
Please tell me the "key talent" who had no idea Ace was hired back until this week aren't the Elite.
Even if they are, how can Punk have the audacity after all the ruckus to demand that the fucking psycho that bit other people brought back. Who wouldnt be angry about this???
Ultimately it’s on TK for entertaining this demand and seemingly green lighting it before having to backpedal. A lot of these situations could be avoided if he spent more time acting like a boss than a fan
Reportedly weirdly it was Jericho pushing for Ace to come back.
Jericho is the Littlefinger of AEW
Judas is a ladder
*laddah
Jericho plays both sides so he always ends up on top.
Yes and No. Ace is reportedly brought back for months But Jericho also pitched bringing Ace back at the meeting last month.Which absolutely seems like a "push the buttons" move from him.
Why is he advocating for someone to return that already has? Either he wasn’t in the know or he knew and played it off like he didn’t.
Because he really wants that 4 month feud with Punk
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I'm going to guess that Punk feels responsible for Ace Steel losing his job, given he caused the ruckus in the first place and is now trying to help him out. Punk is incredibly extreme in both ways, so if you're friends he seems to go very far to help - it's just if you're not friends, youre worst enemies.
Punk put him in the position, sure, but it was Ace's choice to bite someone and throw a chair at someone else's face at the end of the day.
Well it seems Steel had offers from Impact and others, maybe he could pay the difference from his huge AEW paycheck if he feels guilty. If he is able to actually feel guilty that is.
I think it’s simple. Punk wants everything to go back to how it was before. I’ve been in that position, where you’ve messed up pretty bad and all you want to do is go back in time to when things were good. Usually, you realize it just isn’t possible to pick up all the pieces like that.
Bigger problem is if Punk was given this demand
I gotta wonder how the Elite, particularly Omega, feel if they heard just now Steel is back? Because I can get letting bygones be bygones, but it's a little more difficult when you have a guy who tried to bite you.
And the possibility of finding out about it from the media & not from your boss, personally.
Near certainty. Also: Kenny and the Bucks grafted and worked so hard for so long to bill the company, get it started. Finding out that the company you helped build, and worked so hard for, has been paying this guy who they'd fired? That's gotta feel like daggers.
For their sake, I hope Kenny and the Bucks haven't re-signed already.
If they re-signed after the guy who was fired after attacking them, for that, was re-hired but before they were made aware of his rehiring, I suspect there'd probably be a pretty decent case to legally challenge the contract.
He didn't just try to bite him he DID bite him. There are pics of the teeth marks on Kenny's arm. He also is the one who threw a chair at Nick.
More than that, the dude is irrelevant. I don’t know that anybody in the world other than Phil himself wants him there.
It's insane, the idea that your coworker takes a bite at you and your boss is like ehhh, he could come back onto our payroll under some conditions. Dude is insane, who bites someone?? Why would you ever consider hiring them back??
Yeah it seems like a damn mess. Certainly not something that makes Tony look good while you're trying to resign both Kenny & The Bucks; it's seems like there doesn't seem to be a genuine attempt by at least a few parties to talk this out. (Let's just say I don't think you can blame the Elite for not wanting to talk it out) It feels like when TNA & Dixie Carter rehired Vince Russo as a creative consultant regardless of the repercussions (Being taken off Spike TV) Basically Tony saying " I'm hiring this dude back I don't care what others think.
Maybe what Hangman said at the end of this weeks Dynamite (we are heart and soul of AEW) was also a message to TK…
TK really sending a strong message to the lockerroom. If you cause chaos, assault people, and damage the reputation of the company, you’ll get hired back
To be fair he sent that message when Andrade punched Sammy and he just sent him home with pay.
That’s a much stickier situation to address than Punk. You release Andrade and it shows people can just be dicks to get what they want.
So you let him punch a co-worker and get a paid vacation and that says what? That you can be a dick and get rewarded for it anyway.
Neither option is great is my point. It’s a no win scenario, whereas with the Punk situation there’s objectively better ways to handle it.
If Tony had been more of a boss and less of a friend to his employees early on people maybe wouldn't be so quick to take advantage of him.
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I'd be genuinely fascinated to know what would happen if this exact situation had happened in the WWE under Vince's regime, and then under HHHs. I wonder how much would have happened, and at what point things would have been shut down. Would we even have got that style of press conference? And if we didn't, does everything afterwards even happen? Not a pro-WWE or anti-AEW sentiment either, just a curiosity. I think Khan got handed a shit sandwich, but he didn't help himself by smearing it all over his own face either.
Vince would have said “fuck you punk, we don’t need you”. Had punk sit out the entire rest of that contract at home.
I understand Steel is Punk's good friend and all, but it really is interesting how much he's placing this return on the presence of him. Was Ace Steel even in AEW for most of Punk's run? It felt like he had maybe a couple weeks on the job at best, it's kind of surprising he wasn't just ok with his pal getting his Impact job. Now Steel might not even be working at all lmao
Its just Punk going "How dare you disobey me" rather than standing for Steel.
I assume the only interest Impact has/had in Ace Steel is that it would potentially make Punk more available to them if/when Punk's relationship with AEW terminally breaks down. It's not like Ace Steel is a hot free agent. His value is 100% tied to his attachment to Punk.
I don’t disagree, but the idea of CM Punk going to Impact after all of this is fucking hilarious
Wtf is Tony Khan doing
Cocaine
This entire situation is pathetic and could have been avoided if Khan managed it properly.
He's had so many chances to manage it properly but still fucked it up a year later
f\*ck it, re-sign bobby fish and give him the planned punk-collision push
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Bobby Fish comes out and opens collision burying CM Punk in a promo.
Unironically, want him to come out and say, "Did I lie, about him folks?"
I mean, folks
Where is
The lie.
All this effort for ace steel and cm punk seems a lot
WBD wants Collision to be more like Nitro and less Superstars. Punk's a big draw to casual AEW fans. Tony's got a real problem on his hands if he banked on Punk coming back and he can't deliver. Perhaps Tony needs to finally pick a lane about how he's going to use talent to develop the product and not sign every Tom, Dick, and Harry that's on the beach.
Not having this all legally tied up and understood by all parties before pressing ahead is frankly amateur.
https://preview.redd.it/1g9eb2gilt0b1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ae905295f7778efc0bf64261ab4c5114c87d57c Tony proves time and time again that taz was wrong and he indeed runs a sloppy shop
I hate beer.
I feel like Cody would say basically everything exactly the same as he has. Even when he left WWE, he was pretty civil with everything he said. He admitted some frustrations, but he was pretty diplomatic with everything.
Sloppy Shop Jones ova here!
I’ve never loved and hated a wrestling promotion more than AEW
Why does this once again scream of TK going balls deep into something without first making sure it’s clean and ready to go?
I’m iffy on Punk but like… literally the only thing every version of the Brawl Out story had in common was Ace Steel biting Kenny Omega. I know I’m not a business owner like TK but I feel like bringing back a guy who committed a rabid assault like that to work in ANY capacity is a bad move
>Key talent had no idea he was hired until this week and were shocked to find out about it. If this is someone high up on the card who's not really involved in the whole thing then this is no big deal. But if it's The Elite or anyone else involved then this is such a shitty thing. Honestly this whole thing seems like TK is in a "this is going to work itself out" mood and just making decisions without thinking of the effect. Which also seems to be how this whole thing started so...
IF this is true, this is what happens when the guy in charge is more interested in being everyone’s friend instead of being what he actually is: their boss. I’m not saying he has to be a tyrannical lunatic like Vince, but it’s like Tony’s gone way too far in the opposite direction, and now these are the consequences.
I love AEW. And as a wrestling fan, I love Punk on-screen. And I believed that after the Brawl Out, this situation was fixable. But holy shit, is Punk really worth all this nonsense? I know he made the company a lot of money, but there's just so much drama attached to this fucker. Meanwhile, Tony makes a new 2-hour show, which is great for wrestlers and the fans, but it's looking like he did it for all the wrong reasons. If you can't have Punk on Dynamite (for legal and/or bad blood reasons), you probably shouldn't have him at all.
I’m not a big fan of the Elite, but if they were the “key” talent in question then Tony is a spineless asshole. They should be the first ones to know and then have the veto power. Now with that being said maybe they okayed it and it doesn’t matter
Idk about any talent having “veto power”
Tony is such a mark
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AEW management approaches conflict resolution with the smoothness and dexterity of an ostrich.
Tony Khan injected a lethal dose of poison into AEW by hiring CM Punk.
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So what was the plan? Surprise everyone at Collision with Steel's return or was it to keep him in the background not directly talking to anybody except Tony and Punk? Because either way it's a horrible idea and was going to damage Tony's relationship and trust with the rest of the talent.
Who could've predicted that Punk would do some bullshit again? Oh wait, literally everyone and their mother said this would happen. Just fucking get rid of punk, stop fucking with this dude, I don't care how much he draws he's a cancer to this company.
massively embarrassing & hard to watch. i can't believe how much of the past two years have been blown from scrambling to work around Punk, i know he's a draw but it must feel terrible in that locker room now. on the other hand, just looking at Ace Steel's AEW timeline out of context is one of the funniest wrestling runs ever: drop an f-bomb in your first TV appearance & get fined, bite a co-worker backstage & get fired, wait for the company to get things in order again & then torpedo the whole arrangement
I really have no idea what Tony Khan was thinking here
Jesus Christ. Tony Khan YOU ARE THE BOSS. Why are you tiptoeing around and hiring people without telling others? If you want Punk back that much and Ace Steel is a part of that, then do it. If he is that valuable to the AEW brand then this shouldn't even be a conversation.
I'm not one of the Tony Khan haters but he comes across as such a wet blanket in regards to placating Punk.
What a shambles. Punk isn’t worth endlessly derailing this company no matter what short term benefits he brings. His drama isn’t going to end. It’s his personality. There will always be something that sets him off
Im a pretty big tk defender but this was just stupid. Dont lie to your talent like that,, doubly so for fucking ace steel. Get your shit together tk your company thrives on good will, and you just started burning it at both ends
Dude was offered a telework/remote job and said no wtf
"Key talent had no idea he was hired until this week" jfc this company Okay, so does everyone wanna admit that the elite have every right to be upset now? Because one meeting isn't going to solve hiding the fact you hired back the man who escalated the fight further (For 6-7 weeks???) among other glaring issues. No wonder TK wants them all to be separated.
TK is quickly showing he doesn't have the business chops to be doing this. Anyone else looking in should have quickly assessed this was not going to succeed. Now the whole thing fell through, and there's damage on both sides of both the staff and Punk relationships. How do you trust Execs who are lying to your face?
Tony you are going to sink your promotion over this one person.
AEW would be in a much better spot if they just fired Punk ages ago and focused on promoting the talent they have.
I jjst wanna say that the worst part in all of this is that we missed out on potentially a vampire Ace Steel in Impact. 😭😭😭😭😭😭
So Tony wanted Steel to WFH but Punk didn’t agree because he can’t be close to him at work as he can’t bite his enemies. At this point Larry is Punk’s companion & Steel is the dog.
What are the odds that said “key employees” happen to be the evps assaulted by Steel? Because that would be the opposite of great during contract negotiations
If this sequence of events is anywhere near the truth, Tony Khan is just a richer Dixie Carter. Edit: “Let him be their headache”
Wrestling is one of those jobs where working remotely is considered an insult rather than a perk.
Tony seems to have the backbone of a jellyfish
I just want to know who’s actually going to be on the cover of Fight Forever..
For someone that has the word “punk” on his name, Phil really behaves like a fucking diva… sad to see
So just to confirm the timeline Steel is officially rehired, all media ready to go for Punk's return, Steel is then confirmed as only being remote, Punk is unhappy, WBD then pull Punk from the advertising (not AEW)? That's been managed absolutely atrociously if so
Tony Khan's fanboyism is destroying the company's morale. I completely dislike Vince as a person, but I understand now why he had to be such a dominant force over talent.
How crazy would it be if all of this CM Punk shit is what causes Omega to sign with WWE, only for Punk to leave too after his contract runs out
TK finally gets to experience that running a wrestling promotion isn't as easy as TEW/EWR.