It has been an eventful week. SummerSlam saw the surprise returns of Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar. NXT delivered another stellar Takeover event ahead of the brand’s upcoming major overhaul. However, the debut of CM Punk at Friday’s AEW Rampage remains the most buzz-worthy topic by a long shot.
Punk appeared on Chicago’s ESPN 1000 radio on Monday morning to discuss his arrival in All Elite Wrestling.
After a few days to process what transpired, CM Punk says The First Dance may have been the greatest night of his career. He took a gamble by coming out of retirement and signing up with AEW. After that memorable night, he feels great about his decision.
“That might have been the greatest moment, the greatest night of my career… The way we set it up as the worst kept secret, selling out the United Center on a rumor that I was going to be there, never announced, never advertised, shows the connection to the fanbase that AEW has.”
– CM Punk
Punk says AEW fans “get it” and are looking for the brand of professional wrestling he loves. Punk and AEW dropped hints that he was coming without explicitly advertising his name. That approach came with some risk, but he thinks it paid off.
AEW has a young roster that includes talent such as MJF, Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, Dante Martin and many more. CM Punk has been vocal about wanting to work with some of these performers.
During the ESPN 1000 call, Punk said AEW’s youthful roster has a “punk rock” vibe to it. He said it’s a young and hungry roster. Whatever they lack in experience, they make up for with effort.
CM Punk returns to action against Darby Allin at AEW All Out. The upcoming pay-per-view event takes place Sunday, September 5th from Chicago’s NOW Arena. When asked about how he’s preparing for his first match in 7 years, CM Punk said he’s watching a lot of Darby Allin footage. His goal is to tell a story and remind fans one more time why he is still the Best in the World.
