According to a new report, Bryan Danielson headed up a disciplinary committee and played a key role in CM Punk being fired after the events of All In.
Ahead of the September 2nd episode of Collision, Tony Khan announced in front of a Chicago crowd that CM Punk had been fired from AEW with cause as a result of an investigation into his backstage altercation with Jack Perry at the previous weekend’s All In. This was not the first time Punk had been involved in a backstage fight during his time with the company, famously brawling with The Elite following the 2022 edition of All Out.
Now, a new report from Fightful Select reveals that none other than Bryan Danielson headed up the disciplinary committee that investigated Punk’s altercation with Perry at All In. Danielson has long been a trusted advisor of Tony Khan. The three-person committee also included AEW General Counsel Chris Peck and an outside attorney.
Bryan Danielson Addressed The AEW Roster About CM Punk’s Exit
Fightful reports one source as saying that Danielson is an “appropriate moral compass who exemplifies objectivity” and indicated that he effectively headed up the committee. He also served as the de facto face of the committee and addressed the AEW roster about Punk’s termination, saying that the decision was a difficult one to make. Danielson reportedly spoke about his friendship with Punk and highlighted the positives of having him on the roster, but in the end, terminating his AEW contract was the decision that had to be made.
On November 27th, Danielson took to social media with the following message:
“My dad always told me, “The right thing is often the hardest thing to do.” It won’t always make the most money. It won’t always be the most popular. But it’s still the right thing. #AEW”
He reportedly gave this same message to the AEW roster when discussing the decision to fire CM Punk.
According to Fightful, Punk is aware of Danielson’s role on the disciplinary committee.
Fightful Select also reports that these sorts of responsibilities have continued for Danielson, who is also responsible to handing out fines to members of the roster.
At Survivor Series on November 25th, CM Punk made his return to WWE for the first time since his acrimonious exit in 2014.