Why did TNA wrestler Ryan Nemeth file a lawsuit against WWE Superstar CM Punk & others? All we know so far

CM Punk is always in the news, be it for WWE-related reasons or something else entirely. That theme continues as The Voice of The Voiceless is at the center of a lawsuit by TNA Wrestling star Ryan Nemeth. Why did Ryan file a lawsuit against Punk and his former employer?

The brother of former Dolph Ziggler, now known as Nic Nemeth in TNA Wrestling, claims to have been humiliated in front of his colleagues when he and Punk both competed in All Elite Wrestling. He is also alleging assault, and he blames The Second City Saint for benching him.

CM Punk reportedly had a role backstage, specifically when AEW Collision was created in 2023 following the Brawl Out controversy. Punk’s time with All Elite Wrestling has led to much drama and disputes, both on and off camera. Now, Ryan Nemeth is attempting to bring these alleged incidents to light.

Punk allegedly confronted Nemeth backstage after the latter posted that the current WWE star is “the softest man on the planet.” The former AEW star believes that Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling benched and iced him for this reason. He claims that he was potentially blackballed due to Khan’s relationship with and feelings toward CM Punk at the time.

Notably, CM Punk and Tony Khan went on to have a severed relationship, and Khan went as far as to fire Punk publicly following the All In 2023. This led to The Straight Edge Superstar returning to WWE in November of that year.

WWE itself is not involved with the lawsuit, but AEW is

While CM Punk is a WWE-contracted performer, World Wrestling Entertainment is not part of this new lawsuit. Instead, the targets are CM Punk, Tony Khan, and All Elite Wrestling as a whole.

The Hollywood Hunk reportedly filed the lawsuit on February 14th in the Los Angeles Superior Court. As noted, he claims assault, but Nemeth also has other allegations regarding the aforementioned parties.

Nemeth is suing for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional interference with prospective advantage. He claims the defendants have tried to blackball him from the industry and is looking for a jury trial with both compensatory and punitive damages.

In an interesting twist, this means CM Punk and Tony Khan are once again on the same side, albeit not by personal choice. World Wrestling Entertainment has no role in the lawsuit, which likely won’t impact Punk’s standing or role in the sports entertainment juggernaut.