Will Ospreay Recalls Being Backstage For CM Punk & Jack Perry AEW All In Altercation

Will Ospreay recently recalled how he was backstage for the altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry at AEW All In 2023, and what he initially thought was happening. The infamous backstage moment, which occurred at AEW All In 2023, saw a verbal argument get briefly physical and led to Punk’s firing from AEW.

Ospreay, who wasn’t yet signed to AEW at the time, faced Chris Jericho at the PPV. He was asked during his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show about how the backstage environment in AEW is now and if he thinks it has changed from the time, when there were various reports of issues. Ospreay said he couldn’t comment on how it was as he wasn’t there, but he did share his memories of being backstage for All In 2023 and says that the environment has been “great” in his experience. You can see highlights below:

On Being Present For the Punk & Perry Incident:

“I mean once again, I can’t comment that much because I wasn’t there [back in 2022]. I was there at the Punk and Jack Perry thing. Like I was going over the match in my head, and I was sat there thinking to myself like, ‘Oh flipping hell, I need to get this right and this right.’ I was making sure that everything was going on in my head.

“And I heard a commotion, and I thought they were cutting a promo. So I got out of dodge, and then it was like — I saw Punk go past me and was like, ‘[gasp] Oh no! I know exactly what what’s happened!’ So it was funny because it was one of those things where like, you obviously read s**t on the internet. But to see it happen in front of you, it was like, ‘Oh, that’s lame. Every time I’ve come here it’s been super enjoyable. Like, I’ve loved coming to AEW.'”

On the Backstage Mood In AEW:

“Every time I’d done like a Forbidden Door or if I done one of the random spot matches, like we did the trios tournament matches and the environment was great. It doesn’t feel like it’s changed since I’ve come back. I mean, I feel like there’s less of like an animosity towards one another if there was anything along those lines. But I can’t comment on it [because] I weren’t there.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Ariel Helwani Show with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.