Dave Meltzer shed light on CM Punk‘s departure from AEW and his prospects in the wrestling industry following his termination.
In a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer revealed that CM Punk did not have a non-compete clause with AEW, as he was fired by the company with just cause. This meant that Punk became an immediate free agent, free to explore opportunities with other promotions.
The circumstances surrounding Punk’s termination involved a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at Wembley Stadium. AEW deemed this incident as grounds for an outright firing, resulting in Punk’s immediate release. This differed from the situation with Ace Steel, another AEW talent who was let go shortly after but continued to be paid until the expiration of his contract. Meltzer wrote:
When Punk was fired after the backstage fracas involving Jack Perry at Wembley Stadium, it was an outright firing which AEW termed was due to just cause, and thus he was a free agent with no non-compete. That was very different from Ace Steel, who the company did let go very shortly after, but was being paid until the expiration of his deal, and while he was not blocked from going to Impact, he would not be able to follow Punk to WWE (if Punk had the power to get him there) until the AEW contract period expired.
How Did The WWE Raw Locker Room React To CM Punk’s Appearance?
According to a report CM Punk came across as “very nice,” “humble,” and “in a good mood” when he appeared at WWE Raw on November 27th. It was also reported that half the roster is dubious about whether Punk’s good attitude will remain but he did make a good first impression.