In an update from our earlier report regarding the altercation backstage at the All Out Media Scrum, as first reported by F4WOnline, then confirmed by Fightful Select, CM Punk allegedly started the incident by swinging fists at Matt Jackson. Producer Ace Steel then was said to have thrown a chair that hit Nick Jackson in the eye. Steel then reportedly bit Kenny Omega and grabbed his hair.
Fightful Select further notes that according to multiple sources, Nick Jackson was “knocked out” or “rocked” a result of Steel throwing the chair. The situation between Omega and Steel was described as a “tussle.” A person familiar with the situation said that there was “a lot of cursing, a lot of mayhem, and a lot of people not being willing to hash it out.”
The word is that at least one of the AEW coaches was “very torn up” about what took place. Christopher Daniels and Pat Buck were also rumored to have been involved. It was also said that several people attempted to “deescalate the situation.” Furthermore there has been talk about some within AEW believe there could be legal ramifications as a result of the situation.
Regarding the speculation of if this being a work, multiple sources have insisted this is not a work and that it was a real incident. What has been confirmed is Punk has legitimate issues with Colt Cabana, Adam Page and others. Fightful Select, did however, further note that a this all being some kind of work cannot be ruled out, but that multiple sources have stated that this is not a work.
Steven Muehlhausen of DAZN.com has said according to his sources, animosity between CM Punk and The Young Bucks began around the first All Out PPV back in 2019, when the Bucks were trying to get Punk to come out of retirement. Muehlhausen claims Matt and Nick Jackson felt slighted and were upset and all this has been slowly bubbling since and ultimately led to what happened at the scrum.
Tony Khan was reportedly not informed of the situation until after the Media Scrum ended, and was sitting in front of the media with other wrestlers, while everything was going on.
There had been previous reports that said a security guard was seen off camera by those at the scrum, running to the back once the incident began. However, Twitter user Righteous Reg found footage of the guard running out of the media scrum, which can be seen below.
PWInsider also has some additional details on what took place and what they have been told, and what they have heard. Below is some of the what PWInsider is reporting as it relates to the incident.
-The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega left Chicago earlier on Monday.
-AEW is being very tight-lipped about the situation but the belief among those we’ve spoken with is the company is likely trying to determine where blame should be placed and what their course of action is going forward.
-It should be noted that over the course of the day, some of the stories around the incident have gotten more and more fantastical (as they were passed and on) and involved other names. In regard to FTR (who are close with Punk) and Hangman Page (close with the Elite, obviously), they were not present as they had all exited the NOW Arena after the PPV had concluded as they were not needed for the Media Scrum. They were not involved.
-There were some who had sympathy for MJF, feeling the situation overshadowed his return angle that closed the PPV and that the entire scenario has now deflected the attention from the PPV itself.
As of this report, AEW, nor anyone involved has publicly commented on this situation, which has also been noted that could be due to potential legal ramifications and legal action that could be brought forth.