"It's Tony Khan's money and they couldn't resist it" - WWE veteran suggests top stars may have been abusing their backstage influence in AEW

It has been suggested by wrestling veteran Jim Cornette that AEW stars Chris Jericho and The Elite could have been using their backstage influence to take a dig at CM Punk.

Chris Jericho and The Elite all share a strong backstage presence in AEW with roles additional to theirs as talent. The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega are Executive Vice Presidents of the company, while The Ocho is a veteran of the industry and has a considerable say in storylines.

However, Jim Cornette suggested during a recent episode of Drive-Thru that the stars have been taking advantage of their positions. He drew on the Colt Cabana situation and pointed out how he was brought back to aim digs at the suspended CM Punk.

"As soon as they [The Elite and Chris Jericho] thought they could get away with it they got in Tony's ear and said- oh and it fit the MO that Jericho was working. Oh yeah he's a former Ring of Honor champion of some description, the TV title or whatever, so they could actually convince Tony who is obviously susceptible to believing the lies of his friends, oh yeah just it fits the angle, and they brought him back specifically to give Punk the finger." [1:36 - 2:06]

Cornette further suggested that the reason they were doing so seemingly without fear of repercussions was the fact that Tony Khan would be the one paying for it.

"Why would you do that to a guy that is known to not take public disrespect well and has a good case for a lawsuit why you want to poke the bear, and the answer is because it's not their money. It's Tony Khan's money and they couldn't resist it," Jim Cornette said. [2:07 - 2:25]

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Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks have a must-win match on next week's AEW Dynamite

Since returning to the company after serving an alleged suspension, The Elite have chased the AEW Trios Titles. They lost their returning bout against Death Triangle at Full Gear before the feud was turned into a Best of Seven series.

They have since lost two more bouts and won one for the series to be 3-1 heading into next week. If they lose again next week, Death Triangle will take the series with two matches in hand.

Not the 🔨 behind the referee's back on Nick Jackson's knee!
#DeathTriangle are now up 3-1 vs. #TheELITE in this #BestOf7Series!
@ReyFenixMx @PENTAELZEROM @youngbucks

Watch #AEWDynamite: #WinterIsComing LIVE on TBS! https://t.co/xyNs7RSKQn

The remaining contests to close out the series have been announced as gimmick matches. This upcoming bout will be a No Disqualification contest, match six will be Falls Count Anywhere, and match seven will be a Ladder Match.

Do you think The Elite and Chris Jericho abuse their power in AEW? Let us know in the comments section below.