CM Punk and Tony Khan named as defendants in assault lawsuit filed by former AEW star
TNA wrestler alleges that CM Punk assaulted him during their time in AEW while accusing Tony Khan of "blackballing" him.
CM Punk and Tony Khan [via- ITR Wrestling]
CM Punk‘s tenure in AEW was an eventful one, to say the least. In his two-year run in the Tony Khan-led company, Punk made a lot of enemies both on and off screen. While his real-life beef with The Elite has been well documented, The Second City Saint burned bridges with other stars as well, including Ryan Nemeth.
On February 14, Nemeth, brother of former WWE star Dolph Ziggler, filed an assault lawsuit. Who did he file it against? Well, Nemeth has held Punk, Khan, and AEW accountable for the issues he incurred during his time in the company.
In the lawsuit, Nemeth alleges that Punk physically assaulted him backstage, launching a campaign to intimidate him. Furthermore, the TNA wrestler has accused the AEW owner of not taking action against Punk. The lawsuit details how Khan had a deep admiration for the former WWE Champion, and was willing to do anything to keep him in the promotion.
Despite complaining to his employers about Punk’s alleged hatred toward Nemeth, the duo got into a screaming contest backstage. Over the next few months, Nemeth was not booked for any matches on AEW programming.
As per Nemeth, this was due to Tony Khan siding with The Straight Edge Superstar in the situation. The 40-year-old claims that Khan had blamed him for Punk’s subsequent departure from AEW. Moreover, the billionaire has since attempted to “blackball” him from the wrestling industry.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that CM Punk has been sued from a figure within the wrestling community. A decade ago, WWE doctor Christopher Amann filed a lawsuit against Punk following the latter’s infamous appearance on Colt Cabana‘s podcast. The case, which went to trial, ended with the jury ruling in Punk and Cabana’s favor.
CM Punk eyes first WrestleMania main event at Elimination Chamber
After departing from AEW, CM Punk joined WWE a few months later. Since then, Punk’s main focus has been on accomplishing the one thing that has eluded him throughout his career: main eventing WrestleMania. Last year, Punk’s dreams were crushed after he suffered an injury at the Royal Rumble.
Fast forward to 2025, The Second City Saint has a chance to fulfill his destiny. While he failed to win the Royal Rumble, Punk will have another opportunity to punch his ticket to WrestleMania.
At the upcoming Elimination Chamber PLE, Punk will step inside the demonic structure against five other participants. If he manages to go the distance, the former AEW star could face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Title. However, there might be other complications in that path as well.
Related: WATCH: 33-year-old female star destroys Raw GM Adam Pearce’s card in act of defiance
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