CM Punk Reportedly Involved In Backstage Incident When William Regal Made AEW Debut

CM Punk, who has been in the eye of the storm over the last two weeks, reportedly had problems with another personality in the AEW locker room. A report by Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net has revealed that Punk allegedly had an incident with William Regal.

Per the report, following Regal's AEW debut at the Revolution pay-per-view on March 6, 2022, Punk "refused" to shake hands with him. Multiple sources also confirmed to Haynes that Punk told Regal he didn't "like him or trust him" because he was one of WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque's "stooges."

Regal eventually left AEW in December 2022 and returned to WWE in January. Regal's reason for leaving the promotion is not believed to have anything to do with Punk, but rather so he could help coach his son, WWE "NXT" star Charlie Dempsey. He currently works backstage in WWE as the WWE Vice President of Global Talent Development.

Just a day before the All Out pay-per-view in Chicago, AEW CEO Tony Khan announced the release of Punk following his altercation with Jack Perry last weekend at All In in London, England. The decision of Punk's release came after an investigation by a disciplinary committee and an outside legal counsel. That same night, Khan also addressed the firing of Punk before the start of "AEW Collision," where he revealed to viewers that due to the All In incident, he felt that his "security, safety, and life" had been in danger.