It’s been an interesting half year or so for. the former Jungle Boy, so what’s really going on with Jack Perry and AEW?
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To make this all make sense, let’s do a bit of a recap. Prior to last summer’s All In, Jack Perry and CM Punk were at odds. Whatever tension existed, it boiled over with Perry’s behavior and comments during his All In pre-show match. Those comments, related to real glass and how he felt about Punk’s feelings on safety…well…they didn’t go over well. Punk and Perry got into it backstage. Punk and Tony Khan did too. It led to Punk being fired and Jack Perry being suspended.
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CM Punk, of course, resurfaced in November in WWE at Survivor Series. Jack Perry took a wee bit longer, and wound up showing up in New Japan Pro Wrestling. At his first appearance, he shredded his AEW contract and dubbed himself “the scapegoat.
In the last few months, we had heard that Perry’s suspension had run it’s course and he could return at any time.
More recently, a few stories have emerged. Recently we heard that Tony Khan is mad at Perry for the loss of CM Punk. As such, he is allegedly punishing the young talent by keeping him off TV. Except…no matter what went down, it was ultimately Tony Khan firing CM Punk, so it would be silly to blame Perry.
What’s Going On With Jack Perry And AEW?
Following that up, the Wrestling Observer issued a couple conflicting reports (Way to go, Dave!). The first report indicated that Perry had reached out to Tony to apologize, and that everything was fine between both sides. In addition, his work in NJPW was all part of a long game to bring him back into AEW. It still could be…except that Jack Perry reached out to the Observer after that first report, and shot it all down. According to Perry? He refused to apologize to his boss, as he didn’t feel at fault for the incident (even though he acted like a child and without regard for his safety). But, things were mended a couple months after Wembley, and there were plans in motion for his AEW return.
And then Survivor Series happened, and plans changed. While one report indicated that Perry is in NJPW and it’s all part of a plan, the star himself disputes that. He said the act of him ripping up his contract was not cleared by AEW nor did it make him any fans there, and he’s only still under AEW contract because they did not grant him his release. One report says it’s all going to plan. Another says things are not all sunshine and roses. There could be real issues there (in which case, Tony Khan likely fired the wrong talent). Or, it’s Perry doing what he can to squash someone ruining a slow building story line. What do you think?
