All Elite Wrestling will be releasing its first console game this year in the form of AEW Fight Forever, but real-life drama could be devastating for the game. After the AEW All Out pay-per-view this past weekend, former AEW World Champion CM Punk publicly criticized Colt Cabana, "Hangman" Adam Page, and company Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson. This resulted in a real-life fight backstage that has sent shock waves throughout AEW and could be a disaster for AEW Fight Forever when it's all said and done.
There are conflicting reports about what exactly happened backstage after the AEW All Out pay-per-view, but there is no disagreement that a physical altercation took place. The most commonly-shared details suggest that CM Punk hit Matt Jackson, while CM Punk's friend Ace Steel is accused of hitting Nick Jackson with a chair as well as biting Kenny Omega and pulling his hair. Who started the fight depends on which version of the story one believes, but regardless, AEW owner Tony Khan has responded by suspending everyone involved and stripping them of their championships.
It was announced on the latest episode of AEW Dynamite that despite CM Punk just winning back the AEW World Championship and Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) winning the AEW World Trios Championships, all four competitors would be stripped of their titles. AEW immediately crowned new World Trios Champions after Death Triangle defeated Best Friends, and a tournament is being held to determine the next AEW World Champion.
During the broadcast, AEW made special care not to directly refer to any of the individuals involved in the incident, going as far as to remove them from the show's opening sequence. Since CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks are some of the company's most recognizable stars, this is significant, to say the least. It remains to be seen what this radio silence on Punk, Omega, and The Young Bucks means for AEW Fight Forever, but it's easy to see how it could prove especially problematic for the game.
After all, the AEW Fight Forever cover athletes include CM Punk and Kenny Omega, with Punk featured front-and-center. Since CM Punk is easily AEW's top star, it makes sense to use his likeness to promote the video game, but now that Punk is suspended and may very well wind up leaving the company completely, it's unclear what this means for the game. It's possible AEW Fight Forever marketing will continue using Punk to promote the product, but it's also possible that publisher THQ Nordic will need to pivot and come up with new box art and a new cover athlete.
Punk has a tumultuous history when it comes to being featured in wrestling video games for companies he's on the outs with. As some may recall, CM Punk was advertised for WWE 2K15 after his controversial exit from WWE in 2014. Punk responded by hiring lawyers, and he wound up receiving an undisclosed settlement for his likeness to remain in WWE 2K15.
It's possible that the ink is already dry on contracts that will keep CM Punk in AEW Fight Forever, both as its cover athlete and on the in-game roster, but it's also possible that there will be some controversy. Likewise, if Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks end up departing from AEW permanently, it would also call into question whether they can or should be featured in the video game as well.
Speaking of Omega, Kenny Omega has reportedly had a big hand in AEW Fight Forever, helping to oversee the game's development. Omega is a big video game fan, so it makes sense that he would help oversee AEW Fight Forever as part of his duties as one of the company's Executive Vice Presidents, but in the wake of the real-life backstage fight he was allegedly involved in, it's unknown how much he will be involved with the game moving forward.
There are a lot of unknowns about how exactly AEW will be handling this situation as it progresses. Right now, the parties involved have been suspended and stripped of their titles, but it's unclear if they will be out of the company on a permanent basis or if they will return at some point down the line. In the short-term, it's also unclear how this whole thing will impact the video game. One has to imagine that it will at least interfere with marketing plans for the game, especially since top stars and cover athletes are currently being punished by the company.
The latest episode of AEW Dynamite featured one brief advertisement for AEW Fight Forever, reminding fans that they can pre-order the game at GameStop and hyping an award it won at Gamescom. The advertisement shown in the corner of the screen and went unmentioned by AEW's commentary team, but it did retain the AEW Fight Forever box art with CM Punk and Kenny Omega, so it seems that if there are going to be major changes, they haven't happened yet.
It's possible that the AEW Fight Forever video game will go completely unchanged in the wake of the incident, but it's also possible that there will be roster cuts and cover art changes. AEW fans will have to wait and see what happens with the game and the rest of the fallout from the backstage fight.
AEW Fight Forever is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.