Ryan Nemeth has raised serious allegations against All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and former colleague CM Punk (Phil Brooks), citing threats, abuse, and harassment during his tenure with the company. According to a document obtained by Fightful, Nemeth detailed these issues in a complaint dated September 12, which included emails, texts, and call logs as evidence.
The conflict reportedly began after Nemeth referred to Punk as “literally the softest man alive” in a tweet, which he claims was made in character. This led to a backstage confrontation where Punk allegedly threatened Nemeth. Despite Nemeth’s attempts to address the situation with AEW’s legal representative, Megha Parekh, he felt the company failed to respond adequately. Instead, he was encouraged to cut a promo against Punk on television.
Nemeth expressed concerns about being “silently fired” as his paid-per-appearance deal neared expiration. He received support from fellow wrestlers like The Young Bucks, who assured him that his relationship with AEW wouldn’t be affected by the incident. Ultimately, Nemeth was let go from AEW. He stated that he doesn’t believe Punk was the sole cause of these issues, suggesting that similar problems would have arisen with someone else eventually.
This incident adds to the series of backstage controversies involving CM Punk during his time with AEW, including altercations with The Young Bucks and Jack Perry, which contributed to his departure from the company.