Though AEW is trying their darndest to keep attention on their in-ring product, with Grand Slam pulling out all of the stops fans would expect from a Pay-Per-View on four hours of free television, to some, the most compelling aspect of the company remains the backstage intrigue of a near-month-old brawl and the ramifications that continue to rumble to this day.
That's right, outside of the occasional social media post and Tony Khan talking on the potential of an Undisputed Elite vs. The Elite feud in a podcast appearance, AEW has been strangely silent about the futures of four of their top stars, with Ian Riccaboni notoriously not mentioning Punk or Omega as important holders of the AEW World Championship belt when doing guest commentary on Grand Slam.
In the opinion of Wade Keller of PWTorch.com audio show, this was intentional, as TJR Wrestling passed along.
“I think this is noteworthy but not surprising [that] he excluded CM Punk’s name as he talked about some of the biggest names who have held the title,” Keller said. “That’s a bit of a tell. As I talked with Jason Powell yesterday about – I am not expecting CM Punk to wrestle in AEW again. I’m not saying it’s 100 percent sure thing but everything is pointing in the direction of some sort of buyout of his contract. We’ll learn more eventually about that situation.”
Pretty crazy stuff, right? Well, according to Bryan Alvarez of The Wrestling Observer, we don't know the half of it.
Bryan Alvarez says AEW is radio silent on Elite, CM Punk suspensions.
Speaking on Keller's report on his Wrestling Observer Live radio show, Alvarez corroborating the possibility of a buyout before launching into an expansive report of his own that has to be read in full to be fully processed. Fortunately, the fine folks over at Wrestling New have once again transcribed the entire segment, which can be read below:
I did hear Wade speculating about a buyout and let's put it this way. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised but nobody, nobody, nobody is talking right now. So everything is speculation. Nobody is saying anything.
The thing about the brawl is there really aren't two sides of the story anymore. There were two sides of the story for a while but now pretty much both sides agree that CM Punk threw the first punch. The Punk side has backed off the kicking the door down thing. They have admitted [The Bucks] didn't kick the door down. The Young Bucks did go into the room. They didn't just go into the room with the head of legal. They went into the room with the head of legal (Megha Parekh) and the head of talent relations (Christopher Daniels). So they ain't kicking down the door and like I said, both sides agree they didn't kick down the door. Really the only disagreement at this point is were the Bucks aggressive? Punk's side admitted he threw the first punch. The only disagreement is was he actually in fear for his safety or did he just start punching?
Other than that, all sides are on the same page. I don't expect to see CM Punk in AEW again. I don't know about The Bucks and Kenny Omega. I don't know what they're thinking right now but I do know it's been a long time and nobody is communicating with anybody about anything. It has to be frustrating. So I don't know what they are thinking right now…
If they are working a buyout for Punk then there is some communication. You don't work out a buyout with somebody and not communicate. As far as Kenny Omega and The Bucks, from talking with all sorts of people in AEW, nobody is communicating anything to Kenny Omega and The Bucks. Nothing. They are absolutely 100 percent in the dark…I don't know what the future is for anybody.
Goodness, there's a lot to unpack in what accounted to a few short minutes of spoken word.
Is CM Punk's run in AEW over? According to Alvarez, the answer to that question is likely yes. How about Omega and the Bucks? Probably not, as the Bucks just released signature collaborative shoes with AEW and Diadora, and everyone pretty much agrees that The Elite members not only didn't start the fight but actually brought both the company's head of legal and their head of creative relations to the confrontation with Punk. Still, until something is officially confirmed one way or another, Omega is losing bookings at Lucha Libre AAA and appearances at the Tokyo Game Show, the Bucks can't make their YouTube money from Being The Elite, and the hype around AEW that was so incredibly potent just a few weeks ago, between Forbidden Door and All Out, has dissipated somewhat at the worst imaginable time.