Jack Perry Admits AEW All In Backstage Fight With CM Punk “Freed” Him

Jack Perry is pulling back the curtain on the messy aftermath of his now-infamous backstage fight with CM Punk at AEW All In 2023—and it turns out, the chaos may have set him free.

In an interview on Up Close with Renee Paquette, Perry looked back on the fallout from that Wembley Stadium incident that ended up getting Punk fired from AEW. Perry says the backlash forced him to reevaluate who he was—both as a wrestler and a person.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot from it, but I feel like the growth came from… a lot of—it sounds dramatic to say pain, but it wasn’t the nicest of times. It really freed me in a lot of ways.”

Perry admits he used to carry the weight of needing everyone’s approval—something that crushed him when things didn’t go perfectly. He wanted to live his dream job “perfectly,” but public failure hit hard.

“I was new to being on TV. This was my dream job since I was a little kid, and I wanted to do it perfectly, when I would come up short of that, it was very disappointing. And doing it in such a public way, and then there are a million people telling you you’re a piece of s*** or whatever—it’s hard.”

Eventually, the pressure cracked—and that’s when things started to change as he realized there would be some people who would never like him no matter what.

“Through all that, I finally realised there are some people that are never gonna like me no matter what I do,” Perry admitted. “And in a way, that was really freeing, because then I was like, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. What do I wanna do?”

Now, with a clearer head and a sense of purpose, Perry is moving ahead with less concern for outside noise—and more focus on doing things his way. It’s been more than two years since All In 2023, and Perry’s current mindset proves that even the ugliest backstage moments can lead to growth—if you’re willing to confront them.

Do you think Jack Perry has turned a corner since the CM Punk incident? Was he in the wrong, or just caught in a no-win situation? Drop your thoughts below and let’s hear your take.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.