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AEW Fires CM Punk; Terminates Contract ‘With Cause’ Following Backstage Altercations at ‘All In’

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: AEW

In a shocking development, but left with no choice, AEW has decided to fire CM Punk (Phil Brooks) effective immediately. The news came via an official press release on Saturday afternoon, just ahead of two key live events on television and pay-per-view this Labor Day weekend.

With both AEW Collision and the pay-per-view All Out, both in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, tonight and Sunday night, respectively, the timing of this couldn’t be worse for the company, as many were hoping somehow Punk might somehow wind up on those shows.

However, going into this week, CM Punk and Jack Perry were suspended by AEW after their backstage fight at AEW All in London last Saturday. Additional reports supported that Punk got into a verbal altercation with AEW Owner and CEO, Tony Khan in the Guerilla production position before going out for his match against Samoa Joe. At that time, Punk yelled at Khan that he was quitting AEW.

Photo: AEW

As to the fate of Jack Perry (the son of 90210’s late Luke Perry) has not yet revealed, as it is believed he incited the incident by first making a statement live on All In during his match with Hook.  On camera close-up, Perry made a snide comment directed at Punk, about Punk’s refusal the week prior, to let Perry break actual glass for the safety of everyone in a match.  Backstage reports since the incident shared that Punk and Perry went ‘nose to nose’ after Perry’s match. Then, Punk shoved and punched Perry before choking him.

Here is what AEW said on their cutting ties with Punk effective immediately:

“All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has terminated the wrestler and employment agreements between Phillip Brooks (CM Punk) and AEW with cause, effective immediately. The termination was confirmed today by Tony Khan, CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative AEW.  The termination follows a weeklong internet investigation of an incident occurring backstage at AEW – All In London on Sunday, August 27. Following the investigation, the AEW Discipline Committee met and later convened with outside legal counsel before making a unanimous recommendation to Khan that CM Punk be terminated with cause.”

Photo: AEW

Khan offered the following statement: “Phil played an important role within AEW and I thank him for his contributions. The termination of his AEW contracts with cause is ultimately my decision and mine alone. Of course, I wish I didn’t have to share this news, which may come as a disappointment to many of our fans. Nevertheless, I am making the decision in the best interests of the many amazing people who make AEW possible every week – our talent, staff, venue operators and many others whose efforts are unsung but essential to bringing our fans great shows on television and at arenas and stadiums throughout the world.”

So, what does this mean for Warner Brothers/Discovery’s investment in a Saturday night pro wrestling show on television, now that the biggest name familiar to audiences all over the world has been dropped from the organization? Share your thoughts, are you glad Punk was fired … or do you think anything else could have been done by the company after Punk one-year ago delivered shocking comments at the All Out pay per view which he trashed The Elite, Hangman Page and Colt Cabana?

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AEW

Chris Jericho Returns After Year-Long Absence on ‘AEW Dynamite’ Ending WWE Speculation

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After month of rumors and reports, Chris Jericho is home on AEW.  The moment occurred on last night’s April 1 episode of AEW Dynamite live from Winnipeg, Canada.

Jericho, the pro wrestler/actor/musician has been off AEW programming since a year ago in April, amid speculation he would be returning for one final run in the WWE.

However, last night was a homecoming for Chris, who has been with AEW from the very beginning in 2019. His signing with the company made him one of its top stars out of the gate and he became the inaugural AEW world champion.

Photo: AEW

In the set-up on ‘Dynamite’ Jericho kicked-off the show as he interrupted Tony Schiavone, who was in the ring getting ready to bring out MJF and Kenny Omega for their AEW World Championship Match contract signing ahead of AEW’s Dynasty pay-per-view next weekend

As Jericho came out to his theme song from his band Fozzy, “Judas” the chants of the chorus got louder.  Once he was in the ring, Jericho simply addressed the crows by saying,“Winnipeg … AEW … I’m home.” Then, he dropped the mic and made his exit.

After the show, Jericho took to his Instagram account and showed how he was in the parking garage at the MTs Centre in Winnipeg and how in 50 minutes he was going to shock the world with his return on ‘Dynamite’

Chris was last his ‘The Learning Tree’ faction, but it disbanded soon after he lost the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship to Bandido at last year’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view.

As an actor, Jericho was seen last week on CBS’ Tracker as villain Virgil Dean and will be seen in the new AppleTV+ series, Margo’s Got Money Troubles which drops on April 15.

So, what did you think of the arrival of Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite, after a year away? Do you think Chris will be a babyface or heel for his new run on AEW? Weigh-in via the comment section. In case you missed it, and what has been all the buzz for the last 24 hours, check it out below.

 

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A post shared by Chris Jericho (@chrisjerichofozzy)

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AEW

‘American Gladiators’ Revival Drops Official Trailer, New Theme Song by Jelly Roll, Names of ‘Gladiators”

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The season one trailer of Prime Video’s reboot of the iconic physical competition series, American Gladiators has been released which features a new theme song by Grammy Award-winning superstar, Jelly Roll and the official Gladiator names of the cast which includes plenty of pro wrestlers, finesse experts, and more. Fans can Pre-Save “Rise Up” from Jelly Roll only on Amazon Music now.

As previously reported, WWE’s Mike ‘Miz” Mizanin is the host along with Rosci Diaz. The first three episodes of the series will premiere on Friday, April 17, 2026,, followed by three new episodes releasing Friday April 24, and the final four episodes releasing on Friday May 1.  All ten episodes will debut exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Each episode of the fan-favorite competition features amateur male and female Contenders from across the nation stepping into the Arena to face 16 powerful new American Gladiators.

Courtesy/Prime Video

From classic events like Joust, Powerball, Hang Tough, and The Wall, to high-impact new events including The Ring and Collision, every showdown demands strength, strategy, and pure grit. Only one man and one woman will conquer the Arena, claim $100,000, and earn the title of American Gladiator Champion.

Season One Official Gladiator Names
Abigail Lay – “Blaze, Ayinde Warren – “Neon”, Dani Means – “Voltage”, Dani Speegle – “Crush”, Drew Aggouras – “Ace, Emily Nelson – “Striker”, Eric Bugenhagen – “The Bull”, Fessy Shafaat – “Mayhem”, Jason Peele – “Eagle,” Jessica Roden – “Supernova”, Jessie Godderz – “Steel”, Joseph Hall – “Lightning”, Kailey Latimer – “Hurricane”, Lu Faustin – “Empire” Michael Wardlow – “Fang” and Sydney Hunter – “Huntress”.

American Gladiators is created and executive produced by Johnny C. Ferraro. Daniel Calin serves as the series Showrunner and Executive Producer, alongside Barry Poznick. Susan Janis-Mashayekhi, Sarah Happel Jackson and Adam Cooper serve as co-executive producers. The series is directed by Ramy Romany. American Gladiators is produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

So, what do you think about how the American Gladiators reboot is shaping up? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first check out the trailer below.

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AEW

TUNE-IN ALERT: ‘Tracker’ Starring Justin Hartley to Feature Chris Jericho as Bad Guy Virgil Dean

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This Sunday, a very familiar face from both AEW and the WWE will guest-star on Tracker, America’s top primetime broadcast television show with soap opera alum, Justin Hartley (ex-Adam, Y&R and ex-Fox, Passions).

That’s when none other than Chis Jericho, who has been concentrating on acting roles along with his European tour with his rock band Fozzy will appear in the episode as Virgil Dean.

Jericho has currently been off AEW TV having last appeared in April of 2025 on an edition of TBS’ AEW Dynamite. There have been rumors swirling for months, that Chis was headed back to the WWE, but speculation has run high that he remains under contract with AEW and his contract is frozen.

Courtesy/CBS

In the meantime, not only is Chris appearing alongside Justin Hartley in a case of good vs evil on the March 22 episode entitled “Breakaway,” but he will also be seen in the new Apple TV+ series Margo Has Money Troubles which begins streaming on April 15.

In the synopsis for the Sunday, March 22 episode of Tracker, after Baxter (David Ramsey), a veteran stuntman, disappears following a risky stunt, his girlfriend, Laura (Erica Durance), calls Colter (Justin Hartley) to investigate a B-movie set, uncovering shady producers and a trail that leads into a dangerous underground world.

*It should be noted that for the first time, in a few years, Tracker was dethroned as TV’s most-watched show for the ratings the second week of March. That slot was taken over by Marshals, the Taylor Sheridan-backed project featuring the return of Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton. Tracker did come in at #2.

Photo: CBS

Taking to his Instagram to announce the news of his appearance on Tracker, Chris Jericho shared, “Stoked to announce I’ll be playing the lead bad guy on this Sunday’s episode of Tracker the NUMBER ONE SHOW on network tv!!! The episode is called #Breakaway also starring Justin Hartley, Fioana Ren, David Paul Ramsey & Erica Durance and was directed by David Barrett ! I play #VirgilDean and let’s just say, he’s not a nice guy. Can’t wait for you all to see it, THIS SUNDAY at 9pm EST on @cbstv & @paramountplus!

Take a look at the Tracker promo for the episode entitled Breakaway below.

Tracker airs (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*.

So, intrigued to see Justin Hartley mix it up in scenes with Chris Jericho? Does Tracker remain your favorite primetime TV show? Let us know via the comment section.

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