Former AEW wrestler Ryan Nemeth is speaking out about an incident with CM Punk.
Ryan Nemeth, brother of Nic Nemeth (former longtime WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler), was with AEW from 2021 until early 2024. Before shuttering both the Dark and Dark Elevation rosters, he was a regular at the tapings. He also occasionally wrestled on AEW Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage.
Videos by VICE
The wrestler-turned-actor-comedian was also a frequent face on The Elite’s YouTube channel, Being the Elite. Nemeth is speaking out about a situation with Punk before he was fired from the company in September of 2023.
Ryan Nemeth Speaks Out About CM Punk Incident
In a legal complaint obtained by Fightful Select dated in September, Nemeth cites claims of abuse, harassment, and threats stemming from CM Punk. Nemeth was first in contact with AEW’s legal department in April 2023. Nemeth claims this complaint contains emails, texts, phone logs, and other records. He confirms Punk made a threat toward him in the locker room and that AEW sent him home shortly after arriving at a Collision taping last August.
According to Nemeth, several AEW personnel were sympathetic to his situation, including Tony Schiavone, the Young Bucks, and Megha Parekh, AEW’s former head of legal. He claims there was assurance his scuffle with Punk wouldn’t affect his relationship — or job — with AEW.
After no bookings in AEW for months following the incident, Nemeth reaches out to Parekh. During that conversation, he says he believed he’d be “silently fired” from AEW. Essentially, they’d let his deal run out and wouldn’t renew it. He notes Parek again assured him that speaking out wouldn’t negatively impact his job. Pleading for AEW to take action, the company flew him out in August and ordered him to “verbally antagonize” the World Champion (Punk).
After stepping down from her duties as AEW’s Chief Legal Officer, Christopher Peck took over some of Parek’s duties. The former AEW wrestler claims Peck offered him a settlement equivalent to about three years’ worth of his salary. But there was a catch: Nemeth would have to sign an NDA. While he appreciated the offer he ultimately declined, further alleging Peck threatened to sue him if he released his timeline of events. Punk returned to WWE last November and has been a frequent face on Monday Night Raw ever since.
