During last Wednesday's AEW Dynamite, The Young Bucks presented backstage footage from last All In of the real-life altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry.
The prevailing opinion was that it came across as a desperate, petulant move on AEW President Tony Khan's part. Plus, as well as confirming Punk was telling the truth, AEW may have broken British privacy laws (which is likely why the footage is being hit with copyright complaints on social media).
The footage gave Dynamite a small ratings boost but is unlikely to do anything for the company moving forward. Despite that, Khan maintained that it "made a lot of sense" to air it while appearing on The Chris Russell Show.
"First of all, FTR/Young Bucks ladder match coming up at AEW Dynasty for the World Tag Team Championships. This is the fourth chapter in FTR vs. The Young Bucks...the last time they wrestled, Young Bucks/FTR III, was at Wembley Stadium, AEW All In. And a lot happened that day. They were the third match on the pay-per-view and at one point it looked like we were going to have to call them up and they were going to have to wrestle the first match."
"And then they ended up going on in the spot they were in, but the Young Bucks said, the whole day, everything that happened, it really affected their mental preparation, they weren’t able to pray before the match, they were very stressed out. They slipped on the banana peel and lost the match but they blame FTR, they blame what happened at Wembley Stadium, and that’s why, in hindsight, that's why they refused to shake FTR’s hand."
As well as believing The Young Bucks being unable to pray before a match is a compelling storyline, Khan would go on to share his belief that the whole thing has significantly increased Perry's popularity (fans in the building were chanting for CM Punk).
"It was fascinating to see after that tape played, the reaction that Jack Perry got at New Japan Pro Wrestling this week, he got the reaction of a superstar. That is not altogether unexpected and it’s something very interesting, perhaps a side effect of this. Jack Perry [is] already a big star in wrestling, really the way the crowd connected with him in Chicago, that was interesting to see."
While AEW die-hards (who are rapidly decreasing in number) may have rallied behind Perry, all Tony has really done is remind viewers that they can see CM Punk in WWE.
Ratings for shows like Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision continue to dwindle, with many blaming the billionaire's inability to keep his roster in check and tell compelling stories while competing with a red-hot WWE for the decline in interest.