AEW titles vacated

After a turbulent few days, the wrestling world was watching last night's edition of Dynamite, specifically to see how All Elite Wrestling would address the controversial comments made by CM Punk at the post-show media scrum and the locker room brawl that happened afterwards. Prior to the broadcast, it was announced on social media that Tony Khan would address the status of the AEW championships, and The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer tweeted that those involved in the fight were officially suspended.

For those that thought it might've been the beginning of the end of the company, mostly because that's the narrative they wanted to run with more than anything else, it was misguided to think that a backstage skirmish would doom the promotion. On the other hand, it was critical that the situation be addressed in an appropriate and quick manner if the company was going to continue to exist in a meaningful way. The difference being, TNA existed as a group that spun its wheels for years with simply being there, but reached a point where its contributions to the status of the industry were marginal at best. This was very clear during its stints on Pop TV and Destination America.

Tony Khan was at a critical point where he had to decide if he was going to be friends with the wrestlers or be their boss. Both is possible, but business is business, and the aftermath of all of this was really going to determine if Khan treated this project like a business or a vanity project.

The way that Khan addressed the situation with a recorded statement, announcing that the titles were vacated without mentioning any names or particulars was exactly the way to handle it. It was concise and deescalated the situation. Furthermore, he did his job as a promoter and hyped his product with the news that the new world champion would be crowned at Grand Slam in two weeks. The setting of a stadium for a new champion works well and provides good optics for the organization.

Death Triangle beat Best Friends to be crowned the new trios champions, but as I said previously, I still don't think the trios belt are necessary so the bout to determine new champions was mostly a technicality. Granted, the backstage fight between the world champion and the EVPs  should obviously be the top priority, but that doesn't overlook the fact that the product still has its flaws. Pac is also the All-Atlantic champion, but does it really matter? Don't get me wrong, Death Triangle is a great team and they had the entertaining spot fest that you'd expect from the six man tag, but that doesn't make the title anything more than a prop.

Aside from the suspensions and potential legal issues that were caused by the fight, Dave Meltzer also reported that CM Punk suffered another injury during the All Out main event last weekend. Supposedly, Punk suffered a torn triceps that will require surgery, putting him on the sidelines for another eight months. This adds a completely different aspect to this entire scenario. Punk won the championship in May before he had to get surgery to repair his foot, which kept him out of action for three months. He worked one full match and now he will be on the shelf for another eight months. So far, he spent a quarter of his tenure in All Elite on the injured list. If CM Punk can actually work with the rest of the roster is a completely different matter, if Tony Khan can realistically invest more time into an injury prone athlete is also a question to consider going forward.

Assuming CM Punk stays on the roster, he will be 44 when he returns to the ring. Under the best circumstances, even if everyone involved in the backstage fight makes peace, will Punk realistically be able to work those thirty-minute pay-per-view main events? As I said in a column earlier this week, I don't think CM Punk is worth the hassle to keep on the roster since the numbers remained stagnate since he arrived, but taking into account the number of injuries he had, it might be best for him not to attempt another return to the ring anyway.

As far as the world title tournament, Bryan Danielson vs. Adam Page was a great match that reinforced the in-ring quality of the All Elite product. Theoretically, the tournament could be used to elevate a younger star, but under these circumstances, the easiest answer is probably the right answer. Danielson vs. Jon Moxley brings the biggest star power possible and stability to the main event scene.

Furthermore, as much as any of the current Ring Of Honor titles are just props, the Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta match was a main event on Dynamite that proved that All Elite isn't just built around The Bucks and Omega or CM Punk, there's a capable roster of younger talent that has the potential to become the stars of the future. On a night where Tony Khan needed a positive show to deliver for the company, Dynamite accomplished that in a major way, with Danielson, Moxley, Yuta, and Garcia being key pieces to the puzzle.

As far as where any of this goes next, I'm really hoping, at least for the sake of the wrestling business, that Tony Khan uses this whole debacle as a learning experience for what pitfalls to avoid in the future. His passion for professional wrestling is admirable, he didn't need to invest into the industry. He's already from a billionaire family, and instead of the stress of producing live television every week, he could've bought an island and drank ice tea. That said, the reality of being a promoter can be very harsh, especially in the ego-driven wrestling business. Being friends with the roster and being their boss is possible, but very difficult. Tony had to learn the hard way that business is business and in certain situations being the boss has be the role before being friends with the roster. If anything good can come from any of this, maybe eight months away from AEW will make it easier for Punk to mend fences if he decides to return to the company. Another interesting aspect to all of this is that some of the talent that hasn't had a chance to truly shine might get more of the spotlight and elevate their status in the company.