Tony Khan Discusses Addressing Chicago Crowd After CM Punk's Firing

In the aftermath of the shocking announcement that CM Punk's contract with AEW was terminated, AEW President Tony Khan opened up about his decision to address the crowd in Chicago during the September 2nd episode of Collision. The termination followed a backstage incident involving CM Punk and Jack Perry during the prior week's All In event. Khan cited the unanimous counsel from a disciplinary panel and legal advisors as the basis for the decision.

While the Chicago audience expressed mixed emotions, with boos directed at Khan but some cheers as well when he touted AEW's accomplishments at All In and the upcoming All Out event on September 3rd, Khan chose to address them publicly.

In a recent interview with Insider, Khan elaborated on his decision, mentioning his deep connections with Chicago. "Chicago is home to my family. I grew up in Champaign. I’ve been going to the United Center since it was first built when I was 11. My family was at the show, countless friends, everyone I grew up with. It meant a lot to go out and speak to the fans and be able to put on a great show."

Khan also shared why he opted to stand on the ramp rather than inside the ring.

"[Long pause.] You can’t see everybody’s face from the center of the ring. You have to choose one side of the crowd to face when you’re in the ring. And I wanted to be able to see everybody. I felt like, I’m not a wrestler and I don’t need to be in the ring, and for this moment, I thought I would just sit down and talk to everybody. That’s why I brought out a chair."

Wrestling legend Ricky Steamboat commended Khan after the speech, stating, "That was great, you turned the crowd. You turned them around. That’s so hard to do, and you did it."

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— Ben Jordan Kerin Sep 19, 2023 04:06PM