“It wasn’t that type of a fight,” Samoa Joe has a surprising take on CM Punk and Jack Perry’s infamous fight at AEW All In

One can argue whether the return of CM Punk to WWE was the greatest return of all time or not. But nobody can argue with the fact that if it weren’t for AEW, then the Second City Saint would have had a chance to be in WWE. The major incident that gave him leeway for his return was the backstage brawl at AEW All In. It was Jack Perry‘s poking that enraged Punk and led to an altercation before the latter’s match. Although Samoa Joe, who himself fought with CM later, has a different take on this situation.

The current AEW World Champion spoke his views to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Joe clarified that for him, it wasn’t the biggest fight and stated that it was only a high-stress situation. As he looks back at the conditions he has been in, a brawl like Punk-Perry was not that type of fight. Samoa looked at that stuff, as it has happened many times and replied positively to Marc’s statement that it was a lesser deal for him.

In that situation, Samoa was more focused on his upcoming match and its delivery in front of a 70k+ audience. It could mean that Joe was being a wrestler at that moment and was hyped for opening All In at the iconic Wembley Stadium rather than cooling down the pointless fight. He squashed out Punk and Perry’s attitude as he was ready to go out and have the best nights of his life.

Samoa Joe said, via ESPN:

But trust me, it wasn't that type of a fight. Not to me. I've seen fights break out. Stuff happens. But again, that's me. I've been in these situations, I've seen that.

Samoa Joe about CM Punk and Jack Perry’s backstage brawl

There was a certain time difference between Perry’s and Punk’s respective matches. Jack was unsuccessful in defending his FTW Championship against Hook in the All In: Zero Hour pre-show. While Punk opened the main show, successfully defending his “Real” World Championship against Joe. The 15 minutes in between were enough for them to go all out at the backstage. Perry’s direct shot at Punk came out as a reference to their argument on Collision shaped into a fight at the Biggest Event in Wrestling History.

The numerous opponents in line for Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship

The end of 2023 saw AEW’s landscape change with MJF‘s title and a best friend loss. It was not only enough for him to face the wrath of Samoa Joe at World’s End but also reveal the Devil’s identity to be Adam Cole. Nevertheless, that began the Samoan Submission Machine’s AEW World Championship reign.

A week into 2024, Joe was called out by Hook, who challenged for a championship opportunity. The segment led to a controversy on X, involving Tony Khan’s statement supporting the 24-year-old. Thus, the match was hyped and happened on the January 17, 2024, episode of Dynamite where Samoa retained.

But the ending paved the way for his future challengers to come for him. Swerve Strickland was the first person to show up last week when Joe asked for challengers. While “Hangman” Adam Page was on toe-to-toe with Strickland to face his arch-rival‘s potential opponent. The scenario will lead either to a triple threat match or Adam vs. Swerve III for the No. 1 contenders.

In case you missed it:

• Randy Orton admits he was unhappy over WWE spoiling his return for CM Punk
• Zelina Vega seemingly spoils WWE return of former champion after AEW departure

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