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>In Punk's mind, the division started sometime in spring 2022. Previously, he said he felt as if he had a solid relationship with the group, including approaching Omega to ensure nothing Punk was doing in his matches would infringe on what spots Omega had planned and checking in on Page while he was sick with COVID-19.
>On May 25, 2022, Punk and Page were booked for a promo segment in the ring on Dynamite. Page was the AEW champion then, and Punk would be his challenger at the next pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, four days later. Punk said he and Page discussed backstage before the segment what they would say, much as Punk said he did for similar segments in the past with wrestlers such as MJF and Eddie Kingston. But when they got into the ring, according to Punk, Page strayed from what they had agreed on.
>"You talk a big game about workers' rights," Page said on television. "Well, you've shown the exact opposite since you got here. I love this place, I care about this place. This is my home. And this Sunday at Double or Nothing, I will not be defending this championship against you. No, for the first time in my life, I'll be defending All Elite Wrestling from you."
>It was a bit confusing to most fans, especially the first part, since Punk's character was a babyface, a good guy, as was Page's. But to the naked ear, it just sounded like pro wrestling trash talk, part of the story. Punk said it was not that and confronted Page about it when they returned backstage.
>According to Punk, Page told him he said what he did because Punk had AEW wrestler and coach Colt Cabana fired from the company, or at least tried to. Punk and Cabana had a very public falling-out years ago, before Punk arrived in AEW, that included multiple lawsuits. Punk said he told Page that that was not true and that Cabana still worked for the company.
