AEW All Out ended with CM Punk defeating Jon Moxley to regain the AEW World Championship. MJF then returned to make it clear that he's coming for the Best in the World, but things took an unexpected turn during the post-show press conference.
Recently, we've been seeing reports in the dirt sheets that CM Punk has backstage heat for his role in Colt Cobana's disappearance from AEW television. The two former best friends fell out years ago during a lawsuit with WWE, and "Hangman" Adam Page, in particular, seems extremely upset about that (making comments on TV that didn't sit well with Punk).
There have been rumblings that Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks are also unhappy with Punk overshadowing them in AEW, and it appears they are indeed responsible for trying to bury the champion by leaking false information about him online.
After explaining what happened with Cobana in great detail, Punk went on to say, "I have to sit up here, because we have irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs, and couldn't f***ing manage a Target, and they spread lies and bulls*** and put into a media that I got somebody fired when I have f*** all to do with him, want nothing to do with him, do not care where he works, where he doesn't work, where he eats, where he sleeps. And the fact that I have to get up here and do this in 2022 is f***ing embarrassing."
"What did I ever do in this world to deserve an empty-headed f***ing dumb f*** like 'Hangman' Adam Page to go out on national television and f***ing go into business for himself? For what? What did I do?" Punk continued. "Didn't do a goddamn thing."
Since making these comments, it's been reported that Omega and the Bucks weren't happy, prompting them to threaten to walk out of the company. It's also said a "melee" ensued between Punk and Nick and Matt Jackson backstage, suggesting things got physical after the former made those comments to journalists. This was also why they didn't appear at the post-show scrum, and it sounds like there is indeed a very real amount of attention backstage in AEW right now.
Could that be enough to lead to the company's demise? It did WCW no favours and with momentum shifting back in WWE's direction, don't be surprised if Tony Khan is soon forced to pick a side. It's possible this is a work, of course, but it doesn't feel like one right now.