Below are some top AEW news stories of the day.
• During an interview on Wrestling With The Narrative, AEW wrestler Eddie Kingston was asked to say something positive about CM Punk. Here’s what the former ROH World Champion said:
“I loved punching him in the face, I’ll tell you that much!
I’m gonna take the personal stuff out of it and just look at it from the outside and say that Punk is one of the few names still left in wrestling where if you put his name on a billboard by itself, you’re gonna get people to come and see what’s going on.
Personally, that’s a different story, but business-wise man, he’s really one of the last few names in wrestling (that can do that).
I haven’t watched WWE in a very long time, not because I’m Mr. whatever, it’s not interesting to me. That’s me, though. If it’s interesting to you, god bless, awesome you’re watching wrestling, that’s all I care about personally.
Punk, I give him that man, you put his name on anything, people will either buy it or come see what’s going on. You put him in a supermarket or Walgreens or something, saying CM Punk’s gonna be here, people are going to come to see what he’s doing. So, he’s definitely a name.”
At AEW Full Gear 2021, CM Punk defeated Eddie Kingston.
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• Speaking on SI Media, MJF hinted that reports of his $15 million deal with AEW were too low and stated that by the time his contract ends, he will have earned well beyond that figure.
While he didn’t disclose the contract length, MJF emphasized that he would still be young when it’s up, ensuring another major bidding war in the future. He declared himself the true winner of negotiations, calling himself a generational talent and AEW’s biggest ratings draw and merchandise seller.
Below is what MJF said when asked about the $15 million deal:
“You guess? I mean, it’s pretty obvious. Oh, that’s a little light, that’s a little on the light side, I can say that with full confidence. That’s a little on the light side. Oh, we’re talking per year? No, no, no.
What I will tell you is, the amount of money that I get by the time it is over far surpasses $15 million. I am making top guy money, whether it be an All Elite Wrestling contract or a WWE contract.
I will say this, I am 28 years old. Every single top act in professional wrestling, besides me, is either in their late 30s, late 40s, or early 50s. So yeah, for the people who are panicked, ‘Oh my gosh, am I ever gonna get to see MJF outside of All Elite Wrestling? Am I ever gonna get to see MJF in this place, that place?’ Look, the reason I was paid top dollar is because I’m a generational talent.
I won the bidding war. WWE didn’t win the bidding war, All Elite Wrestling didn’t win the bidding war. I won the bidding war. Because I’m making an absurd amount of money. By the time the contract is up, I will still be absurdly young, and then I will be able once again to make an absurd amount of money in the next bidding war.
You know who’s going to win again? Me. Now, All Elite Wrestling is winning for the simple fact that they get to have me on their television show.
I am, without a shadow of a doubt, week in and week out, the biggest ratings draw the company has. I have been one of the top merchandise sellers since the inception of said company, I have been a top guy in this company since the inception of said company.”
