CM Punk has once again become embroiled in controversy just one year on from his backstage brawl with The Elite’s Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks at All Out. The former AEW World Champion is reported to have had a physical backstage altercation with Jack Perry just moments before the former’s match at AEW All In and both men are said to have been suspended as a result – leaving Punk’s status for All Out this Sunday unknown.
Details on a major pitch for Punk, which would have seen him headline the United Center show this weekend, have since come to light. Fightful Select reports that one of the matches pitched for All Out was CM Punk defending his “Real” AEW World Championship against Ricky Starks, in what would have been the third in a trilogy of matches between the two since mid-July. The report also notes that there has been no word on the match’s status following Punk’s suspension.
Currently, the win/loss record between the two stands at 1-1. In their first-ever match together in the finals of the 2023 Owen Hart Cup, Starks picked up a shock win and delivered Punk his third singles loss ever in the promotion – following in the footsteps of MJF and Jon Moxley. Punk evened the score just three weeks later when they met once again in a match for Punk’s “Real” World title on the August 5th edition of AEW Collision, with WWE Hall of Famer Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat serving as referee.
At the time of writing, Starks has not been announced for All Out in any capacity after not appearing at Wembley Stadium for All In last weekend. However, it was revealed on last night’s Dynamite that the former FTW Champion will play a big role in this week’s Collision as he will lay down a Strap Match challenge for a Strap Match to the 70-year-old Steamboat at All Out.