On the Saturday night before AEW: All Out in Chicago, AEW President Tony Khan announced that he had terminated CM Punk from the company. The decision came after an internal investigation into a backstage altercation at AEW: All In London between Punk and Jack Perry. The next night, at All Out, Ricky Starks battled Bryan Danielson in a strap match that arguably stole the show. Interestingly, the match does not appear to have initially been planned for the big show, as Punk was reportedly going to be the man to accept Starks’ Strap Match challenge. However, following Punk’s termination, Danielson got the call that he was needed, quickly got cleared by doctors, and over-delivered in the ring.
Earlier today, a Twitter account called @pepsitruth shared an old WWE backstage promo featuring Punk and Danielson following a tag match they had just competed in. Renee Paquette, who was also with WWE at the time, asked the duo if they would keep tagging, to which The Second City Savior said, “Yes!” Danielson then proceeded to say that life is full of uncertainty. So, it could be yes or no, which led to the two chanting, “I Don’t Know,” before marching off-screen.
Along with the video, the fan shared a brief message, “CM Punk and Bryan Danielson are, to me, the two greatest to ever do it, and I would never place one over the other in that regard. They are both innovators and trailblazers with a deep respect for the professional wrestling business. True legends.”
It would seem that one of Punk’s final opponents agreed with that sentiment.
“Respect to both of them,” Starks wrote on Twitter, along with a salute face emoji.
Few AEW talents have publicly spoken about Punk since his release. Andrade shared a photo on social media saying he hopes to wrestle the former AEW star again in the future, and AEW World Tag Team Champion Cash Wheeler held his arms up in Punk’s signature X on the Collision after his termination.