3 times AEW wrestlers went into business for themselves
AEW has had to deal with several controversies in its five years of existence. While things were comparatively under control during the first two years, the company's backstage morale took a major hit in 2022.
The CM Punk vs. The Elite real-life feud derailed all the momentum AEW had accumulated over the last three years. The controversy brought several top performers into a negative light, leading to a massive decrease in fan support for the Tony Khan-led company.
Although CM Punk's eventual departure did cool things down to an extent, backstage controversies have now become the norm in the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Interestingly, many AEW stars have been involved in selfish acts on television. While some stars went off script to make a statement, others made insulting remarks towards their co-workers in the heat of the moment.
Here's a look at three AEW stars who went into business for themselves:
#3. Hangman Adam Page calls out CM Punk on AEW Dynamite
Hangman Adam Page was involved in a heated rivalry with CM Punk in the summer of 2022. Although the two stars were supposed to be babyfaces in this feud, The Cowboy's shocking remarks made The Best in The World appear as the bad guy.
On the final Dynamite episode of May 2022, Hangman Page cut a fiery promo against The Voice of The Voiceless. The Cowboy called out CM Punk for his hypocritical behavior when it came to preserving workers' rights. Page accused The Straight Edge Superstar of portraying a babyface on television, only to cause inconvenience to his colleagues backstage.
For those unaware, The Second City Saint has always been vocal about the rights of employees in the pro wrestling industry. In 2022, rumors of CM Punk being unhappy with Colt Cabana's presence in AEW caught fire. The Best in The World allegedly did not want his former friend to continue working with AEW, which did not sit well with many of Cabana's allies in the company.
Hangman Page seemed infuriated with Punk's alleged actions, causing him to go off script on live television. It was one of the major instances of wrestlers going into business for themselves, which also left Punk startled and confused.
Although Punk kept calm during the segment, he eventually laid down an unscripted challenge to Hangman Page a few months later on Dynamite, calling him to apologize for his actions.
The former AEW World Champion once again went after The Cowboy during the All Out 2022 media scrum, where he verbally destroyed both Hangman Page and The Elite.
Punk's comments caught the attention of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, who were later engaged in a backstage altercation with the former WWE Champion.
#2. Jack Perry taunts CM Punk at AEW All In 2023
Following the infamous Brawl Out incident, Tony Khan made a strong statement by suspending CM Punk and The Elite. After a nine-month-long absence from television, The Voice of The Voiceless returned to AEW Collision in June 2023.
As the backstage atmosphere gradually began to get under control, another backstage controversy dealt a blow to the Jacksonville-based promotion.
The Road to All In 2023 saw Jack Perry develop issues with the then-reigning FTW Champion, Hook. The rivalry did not have any heat, prompting The Scapegoat to come up with an out-of-the-box idea.
The reigning TNT Champion wanted to use real glass in a backstage segment on Collision, a plan that was immediately shot down by CM Punk. Aside from Punk, veterans like Tony Schiavone also raised objections to the former Jungle Boy's idea, as it was a clear safety hazard.
The former FTW Champion was reportedly frustrated after being denied using real glass, prompting him to take a shot at CM Punk at All In 2023.
At All In, Jack Perry performed a Swanton Bomb during his match against Hook, while the latter lay lifeless on a car's windshield.
Following the dangerous spot, Perry mocked The Best in The World for their recent backstage confrontation, asking Punk to "cry me a river." The Scapegoat's comments drew the attention of The Second City Saint, who immediately confronted Perry when he got backstage.
As seen in recently released footage, Punk angrily shoved away Perry before applying a front chokehold to The Scapegoat. The incident further added to the backstage chaos in AEW, forcing Tony Khan to fire CM Punk from the Jacksonville-based promotion.
#1. Adam Copeland goes after Ricky Starks
In a surprising turn of events, Adam Copeland made his All Elite Wrestling debut last year at the WrestleDream pay-per-view. The Rated-R Superstar quickly entered a rivalry with his best friend Christian Cage, who was the reigning TNT Champion at the time.
The October 14, 2023, episode of the Saturday Night Show witnessed a heated promo exchange between Cage and Copeland. The duo were soon joined in the ring by Bryan Danielson and Ricky Starks, who had their own ongoing issues at the time. During the segment, things got heated between Adam Copeland and Ricky Starks.
While trading verbal jabs with Bryan Danielson, The Absolute One directed his attention to The Ultimate Opportunist, asking Copeland not to look at him with his "bug eyes."
The former WWE Champion was quick to react to Ricky's comments, stating that he was bothered by his stupid attire. However, Stroke Daddy hit right back, criticizing Adam Copeland for not learning about style during his time in WWE.
The intriguing back-and-forth soon became personal when the erstwhile Edge accused Ricky Starks of stealing The Rock's style and gimmick. The Ultimate Opportunist also called Starks a "vanilla midget version of The Great One," which appeared derogatory towards the 34-year-old star.
While The Absolute One was taken aback by Copeland's verbal assault, he somehow brought things back on track, but not before making a cheeky "Edge" reference.