The event became infamous for an incident which occurred during the post-show media scrum where CM Punk insulted and berated several wrestlers, leading to a legitimate backstage fight between Punk, The Elite, and backstage producer Ace Steel. Steel was released and the other four were suspended, along with four other wrestlers involved in the fight; Punk and The Elite were all stripped of their respective championships. All parties involved eventually returned to AEW within ten months after the incident, although Punk would be terminated on September 2, 2023—almost a year to the date of All Out–following a similar incident at All In with Steel released shortly after.
All Out is a professional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) event held annually during Labor Day weekend by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since 2019. It is one of AEW's "Big Four" PPVs, which also includes Double or Nothing, Full Gear, and Revolution, their four biggest shows produced quarterly.[3] On July 13, 2022, AEW announced that the fourth All Out event would take place on September 4 at the Now Arena in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Additionally as part of All Out week, both of AEW's weekly television programs, Wednesday Night Dynamite and Friday Night Rampage, aired live from the same arena on August 31 and September 2, respectively. Tickets for all three events went on sale on July 15 with bundle packages available.[4] There was also a fanfest on Saturday, September 3 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center.[5] All Out itself was preceded by a one-hour pre-show called Zero Hour, which aired for free on AEW's social media platforms.[6]
On the June 3, 2022, episode of Rampage, AEW World ChampionCM Punk, who had won the title just days prior at Double or Nothing, announced that he was injured and required surgery. He initially wanted to relinquish the title; however, AEW president Tony Khan decided that an interim champion would be crowned until Punk's return, after which, Punk would face the interim champion to determine the undisputed champion. Jon Moxley was crowned as interim champion at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door on June 26.[8] At the Quake by the Lake special episode of Dynamite on August 10, Punk made his return and confronted Moxley, entering into a title dispute.[9] A match to determine the undisputed AEW World Champion was then scheduled at All Out. However, due to heated confrontations between the two, it was announced that the match would instead take place on the August 24 episode of Dynamite, where Moxley quickly defeated Punk due to the latter reaggravating an injury, becoming the undisputed AEW World Champion in the process.[10] The following week on Dynamite, Moxley issued an open contract for a championship match at All Out, in which Punk signed the contract. The championship rematch was then subsequently scheduled for All Out.[11]
Post-event media scrum
In the post-event media scrum, CM Punk took issues with certain members of the wrestling media as he addressed backstage issues with colleagues in AEW.[12] Punk first described Scott Colton (Colt Cabana) as someone who "didn't want to see me at the top", discussed their lawsuits against each other, and said he "hasn't been friends with this guy since at least 2014, late 2013". Later on, Punk stated Colton "shares a bank account with his mother, which tells you all you need to know about what kind of character that is". Punk denied rumors that he had attempted to get Colton fired, which AEW president Tony Khan corroborated.[12] Punk also criticized "irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs" (AEW's executive vice presidents are Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson), saying that they "couldn't fucking manage a Target" and accused them of having "spread lies and bullshit and put into the media that I got [Colt Cabana] fired when I have fuck all to do with him, want nothing to do with him. Do not care where he works, where he doesn't work. Where he eats, where he sleeps".[12][13][14] Punk later indicated that he was trying to "sell tickets, fill arenas", while the EVPs were acting as "stupid guys [who] think they're in Reseda", which was where Pro Wrestling Guerrilla was based.[12]
Next, Punk called "Hangman" Adam Page "an empty-headed fucking dumb fuck" who went "into business for himself" on national television, and further alluded to Page as "somebody that hasn't done a damn thing in this business [that has] jeopardized the first million dollar house that this company has drawn off of my back".[14] Punk later said regarding Page: "Our locker room, for all the wisdom and brilliance it has, isn't worth shit when you have an empty-headed idiot, who has never done anything in the business do public interviews and say, 'I don't really take advice'".[12] Punk went on to describe MJF as a "supremely talented individual" but also said that MJF "likes to shit where he eats instead of watering the grass".[14][15] Punk then proclaimed to an interviewer, "I'm hurt, I'm old, I'm fuckin' tired, and I work with fucking children".[14][16]
Multiple wrestling publications, including Fightful, PWInsider, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, later reported that Punk's comments were followed by a fight between Punk, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Ace Steel—an AEW coach who is Punk's trainer and long-time friend. The Young Bucks and Omega were reportedly injured in the fight.[17][18][19]
Aftermath
As a result of the physical altercation following the All Out post-event media scrum, AEW president Tony Khan suspended all involved, which included CM Punk, Ace Steel, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Pat Buck, Christopher Daniels, Michael Nakazawa, and Brandon Cutler.[20] On September 7, Khan opened that night's episode of Dynamite with a pre-taped video, announcing that the World and Trios Championships were vacated, effective immediately. Death Triangle (Pac, Penta El Zero M, and Rey Fénix) became the new Trios Champions by defeating Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, and Orange Cassidy) in a previously scheduled match that Khan converted into a title match. The show also featured the start of a tournament to crown a new World Champion, with the final taking place on September 21 at Dynamite: Grand Slam.[21][22] At Grand Slam, Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson in the tournament final to win the AEW World Championship for a record third time.[23]
The suspensions of Buck, Daniels, Nakazawa, and Cutler were lifted about two weeks after All Out; according to Dave Meltzer, an independent investigation commissioned by AEW apparently determined that those individuals were trying to break up the fight.[24]
On October 18, Ace Steel was released from the company.[25] Steel was rehired in early 2023 to work in a remote capacity and to produce CM Punk's segments upon Punk's return to the promotion.[26][27]
On November 19, in addition to resuming their positions as Executive Vice Presidents, The Elite (Omega and The Young Bucks) returned at AEW's next PPV, Full Gear, where they faced Death Triangle for the Trios Championship in a losing effort.[28] This was later announced to be the first in a Best of Seven Series for the titles.[29] The Best of Seven Series would go all the way to the seventh and final match on the January 11, 2023, episode of Dynamite where The Elite defeated Death Triangle in a ladder match to become two-time AEW World Trios Champions.[30]
CM Punk suffered a torn triceps injury at the event that put him on hiatus for nine months.[31] During the hiatus, there had been reports that Punk and AEW were in talks regarding a buyout of his contract.[32] In April 2023, there were reports that Punk and AEW were planning Punk's return to the promotion on June 17 for the debut episode of AEW Collision taking place in Chicago, which were then confirmed by Tony Khan on the May 31 episode of Dynamite.[33][34][35] Punk appeared on the June 14 episode of Dynamite in a vignette promoting his return for the premiere of Collision.[36] On June 17, Punk returned to AEW on the debut episode of Collision, with all parties involved in the post-event media scrum altercation having returned to AEW.[37] However, following another backstage altercation that occurred just a couple of months later at All In on August 27, this time between Punk and Jack Perry, Punk was terminated from his AEW contract on September 2, almost exactly a year after the All Out incident.[38] A few days later, Ace Steel was also released from AEW.[39]
