Tony Khan Says CM Punk’s AEW Deal Is Full-Time; Punk Says They’ve Been Talking For A Year And A Half
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling
CM Punk isn’t keen on discussing his AEW contract terms, but he’s not there for a short-term gig and is excited for what’s to come.
CM Punk and Tony Khan took part in a post-show media call after Punk debuted on AEW Rampage. Punk was asked about the terms of his contract with the company, and although he said people didn’t need to know “how the sausage was made” he did admit that he’s been talking to Tony Khan for quite some time.
“I don’t really know if you want to know how the sausage is made. I think one of the biggest appeals of AEW is everybody here looks like they show up to have a good time. You don’t want to know details of my contract, just know that I’m here,” Punk said. “It’s not a part-time thing short-term thing and I’m here to have fun and help if anybody wants help.”
Punk then asked Tony Khan if they wanted to specify the terms of the deal, and Khan said no, but added that Punk will be “doing this for a while” and they are excited.
“This isn’t a short-term thing or a part-time thing,” Khan said. “This is a ‘full-time and we’re very excited’ type of thing.”
Punk was also asked about what made him change his mind about returning and he then revealed how long he’d been speaking with Khan, then talked about how timing was key for it to come togheter.
“I’ll go ahead and spoil it—I’ve been talking to Tony for probably a year and a half about this. Some girls are easy to get into bed and I am not, I need to be wined and dined. And that’s not a ‘Oh, I need more money and less dates’ and need ‘that’. It was literally just talking to Tony and getting to know him,” Punk explained, “and the more people that he employed that I knew who, I’d ask them questions and they’d tell me things.”
Punk talked about how he’s “been in the game for a few minutes” so he’s seen a lot of promoters pop up and make promises before folding, and it wasn’t a slight on Tony, either. Punk says it was more about him being anxious and careful, but also said that his debut needed to happen with people in the building.
“I always say timing is everything,” Punk noted, “and there were a lot of ‘happy accidents’ along the way that made this possible.”
Later in the call, Khan credited Punk for coming up with the idea for hosting a show at the United Center, and one of the ‘happy accidents’ was that it was available when it was.
Read More: CM Punk Makes All Elite Wrestling Debut On 8/20, Set To Compete At AEW All Out