Rob Van Dam He looked pretty good to me

It’s looking more and more likely that CM Punk is the vague “personal problem” that led to Cody Rhodes to leave AEW.

Rarely seems a week goes by without some new CM Punk rumor or allegation going on.

It's impossible to say what's truth or not, but I think it's fair to say Tony Khan needs to get a better handle on this. Never good when the egos of a few backstage start to have too much say.

Punk is being a huge dickhead and is throwing his weight around trying to make Collission "his show." Though reviews for Collision are constantly positive so I guess thats why Tony lets him get away with it?

I still don't like how these media pieces feel so planned and calculated though. Its never just one, but an entire wave of articles about how CM Punk is the Worst Person Ever. And all the marks on social media fall for it everytime, acting like the Bucks are the babyfaces in this real life feud even though they are also almost definitely the ones leaking these things in the first place. If they ever do work together, Tony should have two hype video packages before the match, each party getting to edit their own side of the conflict.

Cash Wheeler arrest may have more ripple effects. How much did Dax know about it beforehand, thus potentially getting him in big trouble as well, versus getting a big push as solo star with Wheeler fired? How much did CM Punk know about it beforehand, and whether he will suffer some repercussions, versus Kahn continuing to let Punk run everything backstage at Collision?

I'm not sure what fans were expecting from All In Wembley as far as matches go. Yeah, I really don't think Will Ospreay's opponent in the one of the biggest wrestling events ever should be Chris Jericho. As far as all the tag/multi-person matches go, that's pretty much how WWE booked Mania for a long time, trying to fit as many people as possible on the card via Andre the Giant Battle Royals and Money-in-the-Bank ladder matches. Ospreay and Omega should be in different matches, and not necessarily against each other (though it does seem ideal for the event).

They also lost some big names to injury unfortunately.

I would say it's going to get super awkward having All In next weekend and try to spend Dynamite, Rampage and Collision building All Out the following weekend.

But I'm not really sure what fans were expecting here. I'm sure they tried to get some surprises (and maybe they will) but they're utilizing their roster. And no one will ever be 100% happy. If Omega and Takeshita had their own match, that likely leaves Juice Robinson and Jay White off the card.

I can't ever wrap my head around the CM Punk stuff. Are they just stoking the flames at this point and making things sound worse than they are? If not... it's going to be hilarious if he ends up becoming what he likely hates: Hulk Hogan in WCW.

What's the story with Edge here? I remember last year, didn't he say he'd retire in August 2023 in Toronto? But I felt like that kind of went away until like three days ago.

RIP Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk

Absolutely gutted at the news of Bray Wyatt's passing. Being a wrestling fan is hard sometimes for a lot of reasons, but never more difficult than when a loss like this happens far too soon.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com

@SeanRossSapp
I was given permission to reveal that earlier this year Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) got COVID that exacerbated a heart issues.

There was a lot of positive progress towards a return and his recovery. Unfortunately today he suffered a heart attack and passed away.

Terry Funk is sad, yes, but almost living to 80 is pretty remarkable for a guy from his era, especially someone like him. Long, legendary career.

Wyatt is shocking. The guy just couldn't catch a break these past few years. A heart attack at 36... insane.

And maybe, just maybe... it'll cause a few people to stop dismissing viruses (colds, flu, Covid, norovirus, whatever) as nothing or small temporary inconveniences. The "it's just a cold, get over it" attitude over any sort of virus or illness needs to stop. Don't uphend your life over them, sure, but don't act like you're immortal or something. Take care of yourself. Try to be just a little considerate of others around you. You don't know how it could ultimately affect you or someone else if ignored.

If this is considered a Covid death, it’s probably the most high profile one?

Who do we think will induct Bray into the WWE Hall of Fame? Roman Reigns? Alex Bliss?

I'll always appreciate Bray for being one of the main guys when I first got back into wrestling (the year he feuded Undertaker). This hurts the more I think of it. RIP.

I have to be honest and admit I'm having a hard time with this one. Normally when a "celebrity death" happens that I feel strongly about, I feel bad for a day or two and move on. But I haven't even gotten to that point really. I haven't felt bad, I've just felt empty about it. It doesn't feel real yet. Maybe because the nature of the Bray Wyatt character has always been spooky, it feels less like real life and more like the beginning of a storyline. And yes I know that's not the case. It doesn't change the fact that I have no idea how to process this. He was released two years ago unceremoniously, brought back last year with a huge return, and now he's gone.

I know he lived a fulfilling life compared to the average person. But man... selfishly, he had so much left to do. It sucks that the last few months of his life, half of wrestling Twitter labeled him a failure for going away due to an undisclosed illness, after what some felt was a lackluster return.

The closest early wrestling deaths I can compare this to are Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit. The grieving of Benoit's death was so brief, within a matter of hours the story became so horrifying. And Eddie was tragic but he wasn't my number one favorite at the time. I've been pulling for Bray since his Wyatt Family gimmick, through The Fiend, all the way to the Uncle Howdy shenanigans.

It just sucks. I had to get this all off my chest and I hope it makes it feel more real.

If we go personal, hopefully the real Wyatt Family: brother Bo and father Mike Rotunda. Storyline with the most sense: Braun and Erick Rowan. Noteworthy feuds/partners: could take your pick with Roman, Cena, Seth, Alexa, Orton.

I started thinking last night about Bray's last run. I know a lot of people think it was disappointing, but from a closure standpoint and trying to see it differently now that it was his final run, there were a lot of significant moments in there for him.

-First, I don't know if there's anyone on any current active roster that could have made that type of impact off of cryptic return videos (plus those eerie videos of live events/RAW or Smackdown commercial breaks where they played Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit). I can only think of Chris Jericho, who did it twice in WWE. Right up to his unmasking at Extreme Rules and the massive pop he got. That was vindication for releasing him one year prior.

-He had a great feud with LA Knight, which proved that going over in a feud isn't always the best course of action. Knight lost but the feud put him front and center and erased the awful Max Dupri shit from a few months prior. We're seeing now the megastar he's becoming. Maybe he was good enough to overcome and get here on his own, but there's no denying his feud with Bray was a game changer for him.

-Bray got to have that RAW moment with The Undertaker. It should have been a passing of the torch that would last for years.

-After being many different versions of Bray, he got to be closer to a real version of himself. Of course there was plenty of supernatural happenings with the character, but it felt like when he spoke to the crowds, it was as close to the real Bray as we'd ever get.

-And after all these years, he finally was working closely with his brother Bo Dallas. Not sure if it's ever been confirmed he was Uncle Howdy, but 99% sure it was him. And his last televised appearance was alongside his brother.

He had so much more to give but it makes it slightly easier to digest that this run had all that.

I totally forgot about Max Dupri. Vince should have been excluded from the Endeavor deal just for that.

The Bray Wyatt thing still hasn't really sunk in. Feels like dying and then making a surprise return would be in line with his character. But all the stuff thats come out about his heart issues make it seem like he was never coming back anyway.

All In was good even with a couple confusing finishes. Really should not have been overshadowed by Punk fighting people backstage again as thats basically just his gimmick now. Its wild that they have to build All Out, in Chicago, over a week without him though.

Yeah I really don't think I needed to hear the news about what happened that got released this morning, but by the sounds of it, I can't imagine WWE doctors allowing him to compete. He probably would have been forced to retire.

Still hasn't sunk in for me. Becky Lynch's reaction on the closing seconds of RAW felt so real. Just absorbing the weight of it and allowing her emotions to pour out.

Yeah All In was excellent, all considered. Great moments, great matches. I can't complain.

First time I also watched Zero Hour because I wanted to see Better Than You Baybay win the titles. I figured when I heard that cringey line from Jack Perry that trouble would follow. Punk needs to stop letting everything become something, but Perry is equally to blame for using AEW's biggest show ever to get out some dig at Punk.

Since we're getting All In Wembley again next year on the same weekend, I hope they push All Out, at least by a month. I hate to criticize a card, but... it looks like a night of matches I'd see on any given Dynamite. And I'm sure the matches will be good. But when the odds are looking good that Moxley vs. OC is going to main event one of the "big four" PPVs of the year for the International Title. Yeah the match will be fun. It's not a match I've been expecting and anticipating for a few weeks.

Between Bray Wyatt's passing and CM Punk's firing, it's a rough two weeks for me.

I have to assume the Wembley security footage is BAD. There's no bigger fan of CM Punk than Tony Khan. He likely knew if he kept Punk and the footage got out, it would make him look terrible as a boss.

I'm not making excuses for Punk. He is his own worst enemy. As much as I would want to see Punk in a Triple H-led WWE, I can't imagine WWE has any interest in him after this, AFTER their own issues with him. Maybe if he had been let go after last year's Brawl Out incident, there may have been a chance. I also don't think Punk has any genuine interest in WWE beyond the payday. He knows he's not going there now to become champion.

I also don't think Punk is completely to blame. But when you and Punk don't get along, it creates issues that he is unable to resolve properly. His reaction is always confrontation.

There's also someone or some people super fucking petty behind the scenes. After Brawl Out 2022, they wasted no time bringing in Colt Cabana for a one-off appearance. After Brawl In 2023, The Young Bucks appeared on Collision same day as Punk's firing. Again, no excuses at all for Punk's shit. But that's so petty to not even wait a week.

Great match between Seth and Nak last night.


As for Punk ... I've been defending him all this time in his backstage feud with the Young Bucks (who I consider to be 40% responsible for Brawl Out), but losing his cool and fighting Jungle Boy was a step too far. Like who gives a shit what Jungle Boy thinks? Drop a pipe bomb on him either on air or use the dirtsheets like everyone else.