Wrestling With Sin: 489

Brian Damage

This is the 489th installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.

Brawl In

On the day of All Elite Wrestling’s biggest pay per view event ever…All In…a backstage fight took away the headlines for that show. A physical confrontation between wrestlers CM Punk and Jack Perry took place after Perry’s match on the pay per view’s pre show. During his match in which Perry wrestled against Hook, Jack Perry looked directly into the camera and said…“It’s real glass, go cry me a river.” The comment stemmed from a report that Punk refused to allow Perry to use real glass during an episode of AEW Collision.

When Perry returned backstage after his All In match, Punk allegedly confronted Perry and asked him if there was a problem. The two went nose to nose and depending on whose story is to be believed, Punk either pie faced Perry or shoved him and then attempted to grab Perry in a chokehold. The skirmish was said to be quickly broken up, but Punk allegedly took it a step further by “lunging” at AEW owner Tony Khan knocking over monitors in the process and threatening to quit the company right then and there. Samoa Joe was reportedly there to grab Punk and remove him from the situation. Punk wrestled his match against Samoa Joe and remained backstage at Wembley Stadium, while Jack Perry was supposedly sent away.

What made this situation a bigger deal, was the fact that Punk had already been involved in a bigger physical altercation with wrestlers Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks a year prior. In that case, both parties were suspended and Punk’s good friend and AEW agent Ace Steel was let go. While this recent incident was originally downplayed by many within the company, reports emerged that actual video footage existed of the confrontation with Perry and the aftermath of that incident. A week later, Tony Khan made the announcement that Jack Perry was suspended indefinitely and that CM Punk was released from AEW.

Tony Khan made this statement prior to AEW Collision:

This week we conducted an investigation independent of me. I have a discipline committee at AEW that is independent, and it comprised the majority of lawyers. And I also brought in outside legal council. I hired independent lawyers to investigate this and make a recommendation. This was different than anything I’ve ever been involved in in sports or wrestling. It was very tough when I met them.

The unanimous recommendation was the action that I took, the action that I took came as a result of this investigation, but I have to say it stems from an incident backstage last weekend at AEW All In London. I’ve been going to wrestling shows like you for over 30 years, and the first one I ever went to was with my dad, who’s here tonight, in Campaign, Illinois. I would thank you, dad, because without him, none of this would be possible, because he took a huge leap on a dream that became AEW. And that’s why we’re here. And everything I know about business, I learned from him. He’s a family businessman. This is a family business. And I care about the people who work here, that the production staff has everybody that works here, the wrestlers, but also people you don’t think about every day that make this show happen.

I’ve been going to wrestling shows for over 30 years as a fan, and I’ve been producing them on TNT here for almost four years now. And this is the first time, this incident, that I have ever feared for my safety at a wrestling show, that I have ever feared for my life. More than I’ve ever feared for the safety of the people who work backstage. The staff, I’m sorry, but they don’t come here… they don’t work here to be put in danger. There shouldn’t be 50 year old people with artificial joints worried, ‘am I going to get hurt for coming to work to work on AEW every single week.’

I’m sorry. I can’t have that, and I won’t have that. That’s why it’s a very tough choice. There’s no place in the world, this is literally the last place in the world, literally the United Center that I would want to tell you. The recommendation was from the committee, but the decision was mine. I’m sorry that anybody’s upset, but I want you to know that I know you’re all here tonight because you love professional wrestling. This company is a love letter to professional wrestling. 

There has been some speculation that lawsuits could be involved with this incident from both sides.

Kimber Lee – U – I

Former Impact Knockout and NXT wrestler Kimberly Frankele aka ‘Kimber Lee’ was arrested on May 11, 2023 in Sebring, Florida on charges of DUI, resisting an officer with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer. Frankele was allegedly spotted driving in the wrong direction, narrowly striking a guardrail in the process. The officer noticed her bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol and administered a breathalyzer test in which her blood alcohol level was 0.140, surpassing the legal limit of 0.08. When asked to take a second test, she refused.

Frankele then allegedly resisted arrest by striking the arresting officer and kicking and screaming during her restraint. Frankele pleaded not guilty to her charges and waived her right to a speedy trial and obtained a public defender. As of this writing, Frankele has not commented on her arrest and was due back in court in October of 2023.

A Jumbo Problem

In the late Summer of 1983, NWA World Champion ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair went overseas to All Japan to defend his title. The then NWA president Bob Geigel sent Harley Race to accompany Flair on this Japanese tour to ensure that Flair and his title would be protected if need be. During a match against All Japan star Jumbo Tsuruta, the Japanese wrestler decided to go “off script” and went into business for himself. Flair was able to win the match and retain his coveted title, but Harley was keen to the fact that Tsuruta wasn’t playing fair.

Harley allegedly stormed into the Japanese wrestlers locker room and confronted Tsuruta. Harley then allegedly slapped Jumbo across his face in front of All Japan owner Giant Baba and warned Tsuruta that if Jumbo ever attempted something like that again, he would have to answer to him personally. Knowing the value of having foreign talent tour his promotion, Baba assured Race that the incident was isolated and would never happen again.

The Genesis of the End

‘The New Genesis’ Christopher Arkadian was an independent pro wrestler based out of the east coast. Arkadian started his wrestling journey in 2008 acting as a ring boy, referee and finally becoming a wrestler himself. He wrestled for approximately four years. Sadly, Christopher Arkadian battled with deep depression and on August 3, 2012…Arkadian lost his battle with depression as he took his own life. Christopher Arkadian was just 25 years old at the time of his death.

You can read all previous ‘Wrestling with Sin’ pieces here.