Shocking AEW talent revealed as head of disciplinary committee that fired CM Punk - Reports
Following CM Punk's surprise return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames, many throughout the wrestling world have been reexamining his release from AEW, which occurred after multiple backstage altercations within a single year.
AEW President Tony Khan fired Punk on September 2 at the recommendation of a disciplinary committee after a careful investigation of The Second City Saint's behavior. Many assumed All Elite Wrestling's former Chief Legal Officer, Megha Parekh, was involved in the decision. But according to a new report, that doesn't seem to be the case.
Fightful Select has reported that AEW General Counsel Chris Peck had taken on many of Parekh's duties as CLO at the time of the investigation and was included in the three-person disciplinary committee alongside another attorney. But, according to the report, the shocking third member and "face" of the committee was former WWE Superstar Bryan Danielson.
The American Dragon was said to have headed up the committee and conducted interviews with talent in the company's locker room. While the decision to fire CM Punk was reportedly a difficult one due to The Straight Edge Superstar's status and longtime friendship with Danielson, the latter noted that it "had to be done."
This may put Bryan Danielson's most recent tweet – which concerns doing the right thing even if it's unpopular – into perspective. Many fans were wondering if The American Dragon had posted it in response to Punk's WWE return.
According to Fightful, the quote was something that Danielson had said to talent during the committee's interviews.
Fightful also noted that Punk was likely aware of Bryan Danielson's involvement in the disciplinary committee before his release, as several of his friends were interviewed as part of the investigation. Danielson is said to be continuing in this role to some degree and has even handed out fines when required.