If anybody tuned in Wednesday evening hoping for solutions, or not less than an evidence — they had been sorely let down. An alleged backstage brawl following All Out in Chicago involving CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and The Younger Bucks created a firestorm of rumors, studies, and wildly completely different accounts of what occurred following Punk’s expletive-laden press convention after the present. Dynamite was an opportunity to chop by the rumors and make clear the method, as a substitute Tony Khan and AEW made it a lot extra complicated.
Showing on display screen shortly following the present’s intro, Khan thanked followers, then, with out rationalization, introduced that the AEW World Championship and AEW World Trios Championships had been vacated. No point out of the wrestlers, no rationalization of what was happening — nothing.
“Hello, thanks for becoming a member of us tonight, and welcome to Wednesday evening AEW Dynamite on TBS. Following All Out on pay per view this previous Sunday evening I’ve been compelled to vacate the AEW World Championship, in addition to the AEW World Trios Championship […]”
Dealing with the incident this poorly defies perception. With nearly three days to arrange for this second, Khan left the ball within the court docket of the identical rumors and media studies that induced the backstage incident to eclipse any of the wrestling that befell on Sunday evening. If something, the vagueness of his phrases merely led extra wrestling followers to look on-line to attempt to garner info on what befell, slightly than clarifying a really weird state of affairs.
What will we truly learn about Sunday evening? Nonetheless, nearly nothing. It’s usually accepted at this level {that a} verbal altercation between the wrestlers escalated right into a combat, with punches being exchanged, a chair allegedly thrown at Nick Jackson, and Omega was reportedly bitten by Punk’s coach and long-time pal Ace Metal. Nevertheless, we nonetheless don’t actually know if something befell. No video exists of the combat. No person who witnessed it has defined what they noticed. Native police have refuted early studies that they had been dispatched to NOW Area. All we now have are imprecise, dueling accounts of what befell, being filtered by varied wrestling writers.
To their credit score, these reporting on the incident have remained constant that this was a really actual altercation, and never a “work,” manufactured drama for the aim of a wrestling story. Nevertheless, trusted as writers’ sources could also be, there stays a non-zero probability that is nonetheless an effort to pop rankings and create curiosity within the present — with these studies getting used as a device to attain AEW’s targets.
Skilled wrestling stays a enterprise of subterfuge, and firms preserve all the facility of their relationship with writers. Not like main skilled sports activities there aren’t any mandates which require press entry to athletes, seats in press conferences, or constant credentialing processes for exhibits. If a wrestling firm decides a author is an excessive amount of of a nuisance, they merely minimize entry — damaging the outlet’s capability to cowl occasions, and hurting their backside line. This energy imbalance naturally results in tales both being under-reported, or ignored all collectively out of worry of reprisal.
It’s for that reason the announcement by Khan was so vital. It was the primary actual alternative to chop by the noise, make an announcement on what occurred, and put the onus on AEW to decide on to both reveal the reality, or misinform its followers. As an alternative that strain is now again on writers, who can solely report what they’ve heard, belief their sources, nonetheless not figuring out absolutely in the event that they’re getting an correct account, or getting used to additional a narrative.
Khan’s announcement was so imprecise and hamfisted that it was completely complicated. Think about for a second you’re not a wrestling fan who refreshes Twitter in search of backstage studies, and who didn’t see the press convention following All Out. Should you’re an informal viewer who solely tunes in on Wednesdays to look at the present you had been met with the CEO of the corporate saying that the World Championship and Trios Championships had been stripped — with no point out of the wrestlers concerned, and no rationalization of why it was occurring.
There have been solutions that the explanation for the vaguery is a on account of a pending investigation into the incident, however this rings woefully hole. Khan is an government of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he’s co-owner of Fulham within the English Premier League — he, and everybody inside AEW know there are methods to handle controversy, whereas nonetheless providing some rationalization. Hell, what number of occasions is the default response from groups “We’re conscious of the _____ in opposition to ____, and are at present gathering extra info.”? It’d as effectively be tattooed on the heads of each PR entity inside a group as a result of it’s used so typically. There have been a thousand methods to raised clarify what was occurring inside AEW, whereas additionally sustaining the integrity of the non-public investigation.
Right here, I wrote my very own on what Khan ought to have mentioned — and it took 5 minutes:
“As a few of you’ll have heard, following All Out in Chicago on Sunday evening there are allegations of a locker room altercation between AEW World Champion CM Punk, and our newly topped AEW World Trios Champions Kenny Omega and The Younger Bucks. We take any incident involving our workers very critically, and people concerned have been suspended, pending the completion of a full investigation, which has already begun. We would not have a timeline on when this course of can be full, however are working as shortly as doable to convey this to a swift decision.
Whatever the consequence of this investigation, because the proprietor and CEO of All Elite Wrestling I can not maintain two of our most essential championships in limbo whereas this course of is happening. In consequence the AEW World Championship and the AEW World Trios Championship have been stripped from these concerned. A match of champions will determine a brand new AEW World Champion, whereas two of our longest tenured trios groups, Dying Triangle, and the Finest Associates with Orange Cassidy will compete for the AEW World Trios Championship tonight.”
If this was the method there aren’t any questions immediately. The rumors are put to an finish. On the surface probability that is all nonetheless a large contrivance manufactured to win viewers, then the repute that takes a success isn’t that of reporters who’re attempting to study the reality, however AEW itself for mendacity to its viewers. As an alternative the 24 hour information cycle will proceed, and maybe that’s the purpose of all this — to maintain “Punk” trending for as many days as doable, and the drama main each wrestling web site all over the world.
This all comes on the expense of followers, particularly those that actually don’t care about silly, petty, office drama that escalated right into a infantile brawl between adults. This was a chance to talk candidly, and actually to the very individuals AEW so typically reward for being the driving power behind all the pieces they do — and as a substitute they had been stored in the dead of night once more. The reserving to determine new champions made little sense, the choice to present a imprecise and pointless assertion made no sense, and an evening that was anticipated to lastly clear issues up, as a substitute was a colossal letdown.
AEW dropped the ball spectacularly, and there’s no finish in sight for this silly drama.
