Tony Khan has touted the immediate success of CM Punk in AEW.
Punk had been away from the wrestling industry for seven years. While it appeared as though Punk once lost his passion for the business, AEW shot some new life into his love for wrestling. The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” made his AEW debut on Aug. 20 and had his first match since 2014 at the All Out PPV, defeating Darby Allin.
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Khan said Punk’s merchandise sales have set records for AEW.
“What he’s done for our attendance, record TV ratings, record PPV buys. We set a live attendance mark in Chicago. We’ve set all new kinds of merchandising records. We sold over 100,000 CM Punk shirts. We’ve sold thousands and thousands of ice cream bars since he started giving those away. You know, he’s absolutely changed our business. And that was the expectation when he came in. I spent years literally talking to CM Punk, talking to him about AEW, what it could be and how much it would mean to us if he could come back to the ring in AEW. He’s doing it.”
Punk is currently involved in a feud with Team Taz. He’ll go one-on-one with Powerhouse Hobbs on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage. The action will be held inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY. It’ll air on Sept. 24. Punk will also appear on the Sept. 22 Dynamite to talk about his match with Hobbs.
AEW commentator Tony Schiavone believes CM Punk elevated Darby Allin.
Punk returned to the wrestling industry on the Aug. 20 edition of AEW Rampage. After addressing the fans who had been missing him for seven years, he turned his attention to Darby. This led to a match at the All Out PPV. Punk ended up winning the match after hitting the GTS.
Schiavone, who called the match between Punk and Darby, appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. During his appearance, he explained why he feels Darby benefited from sharing the ring with CM Punk.
“I know there’s a lot of trolls on here, as they are on social media. They’re gonna say, ‘CM Punk put Darby over? No he didn’t. CM Punk beat Darby.’ It’s not about wins and losses you freaking dumb asses. It’s about making stars, and CM Punk made Darby an even bigger star, elevated Darby’s career that night. What she’s talking about, and I wholeheartedly agree that, these veterans and known stars coming in working with our younger talent is making everybody better. It’s not wins or losses anymore.”
Punk has moved on to feud with members of Team Taz. He’s due to face Powerhouse Hobbs on the Sept. 24 edition of Rampage. As for Darby, he’s got some issues with Tully Blanchard and members of The Pinnacle. Darby and Sting will meet FTR in a tag team match at the AEW Grand Slam Dynamite on Sept. 22.
FTW Champion Ricky Starks believes CM Punk has been of great help to AEW talent backstage.
Punk has been with AEW for about a month now. After being away from the wrestling industry for seven years, Punk made his AEW debut on the Aug. 20 edition of Rampage. Punk’s music hit and fans inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois lost their minds. CM Punk’s return led to one of the loudest crowd reactions you will ever hear for a wrestling show.
Punk’s value in AEW goes beyond TV and PPVs. Appearing on SiriusXM’s new Throwing Down show with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate, Starks said the self-proclaimed “Best in the World” has been quick to give some advice to the talent if they ask for it.
“It’s been great. I know that he’s a hard worker and backstage, he’s very mindful of everyone and their matches and making sure he talks to them and critiques them. He’s very approachable too. Having Punk back there is a big morale boost. A big morale boost.”
Starks also responded to Punk calling him out in the media and on AEW TV.
“He called me out. I appreciate the spotlight there, but I’m tied up with Brian Cage right now. I have to get through that before I move on top Punk and see what he’s about. If it keeps drawing attention, Punk, keep my name in your mouth. Keep it going. I welcome it.”
AEW has planted the seeds for Punk’s next feud. Punk and Taz got into a back-and-forth verbal exchange on an episode of Dynamite. Taz took issue with Punk mentioning members of his team in media appearances. Punk doubled down, daring Taz to give him Will Hobbs, Hook, and Ricky Starks.
Shortly after CM Punk debuted with AEW, reports surfaced that executives at Fox were upset that WWE didn’t make a strong enough offer to him. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Fox pressed WWE to make an offer to Punk when rumors of him going to AEW began to surface. They even offered to help financially with a contract offer to him.
“WWE supposedly responded saying that the money figure he wanted was too high. FOX was so interested in him returning to WWE and not AEW, they reportedly responded by wanting to help out,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “But WWE officials then said there were other reasons they didn’t want him, the attitude issues and such.”
Punk spoke with ESPN recently and said that WWE did reach out to him last December through intermediaries. He indicated that the talks didn’t get far, however, and said that WWE “played games” when reaching out.
A previous report stated that WWE felt pressure to bring back Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch to Smackdown due to Punk’s debut in AEW. This was covered in a previous edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“FOX was very upset that WWE didn’t make a big offer to Punk to keep him from going to AEW,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “Politically, WWE felt the need to get Lesnar and Lynch to Smackdown right away.”
Many fans noticed that the match between CM Punk and Darby Allin at All Out shared multiple similar spots to an influential match from the past. Bret Hart faced the 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman) for the WWF Championship in July of 1994. Punk would have been 15 years old at the time the match took place. In the build-up to Punk vs Darby, Punk mentioned that if he was 15-years-old, Darby would be his favorite wrestler.
A Bret Hart fan page on Instagram posted a video showing several spots where Punk and Darby Allin paid homage to Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid at All Out.
Waltman doesn’t always remember his matches with Bret as clearly, however. He responded to a thread about another match he had against Bret that took place in February of 1994.
I had no recollection of this, so I asked Bret. He told me we did this match with Owen & Shawn during a 4 day loop of Wisconsin in February 1994. https://t.co/f1XfyZrlmw
Usually it comes back to me once I'm reminded. Hunter, R Dogg & I had a match on Smackdown w Rock & Earl Hebner that was one of the hottest TV matches I'd ever been in & I forgot it ever happened until I ran across it on YouTube.
Based on fan ratings from Cagematch.net, Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid is the 14th highest rated match of Bret Hart’s career. It was the 3rd best match of Waltman’s career according to the same website. The match received a 4.5 star rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The full match between the 1-2-3 Kid and Bret Hart can be viewed in the player below:
At All Out 2021, CM Punk returned to the wrestling ring for the first time in 7 years, Bryan Danielson debuted for AEW, Adam Cole re-joined his former Elite stablemates, and Ruby Soho debuted and earned a title shot. At the post-event media scrum, Punk was asked about the new additions to the AEW roster and how they stack up against the names WCW brought in during the mid to late 90s.
“I’m not Hogan, I’m not Savage. Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole are not the Outsiders,” Punk responded. “I see the parallels. This is totally different and I’ll go ahead and say it, people can quote me and they’ll be pissed off about it, to me, this is bigger.”
Earlier in the discussion, Punk said that he feels the new AEW additions will have a big impact. He’s not worried about competing with other companies, however. It’s about AEW focussing on their talent and audience.
“Obviously, I think it’s going to be very impactful,” Punk said. “I’m not personally in the business of a war or competing. I know who competition is and who competition isn’t. To me, we focus on ourselves. We focus on the talent we have and we focus on the people in the building and I think that’s how we grow.”
Punk’s comments can be heard in the video below:
Posted September 6th, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: CM Punk.
CM Punk has given his reaction to the AEW signings of Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole.
Danielson and Cole made their AEW debuts on Sept. 5 at the end of the All Out PPV. Cole was the first to make his surprise entrance, joining The Elite in their beatdown of Christian Cage and Jurassic Express. Danielson then evened the odds by fighting alongside the faces.
Speaking to reporters following the All Out PPV, Punk discussed the promotional debuts of Danielson and Cole.
“I mean, you know, pardon my lewdness, but I got a boner for that. Honestly, like, you know, I feel everybody has their own journey and their own story and their own experiences of where we used to work. You know, but I heard him say. I left and I don’t got a lot of good things to say, he left [Bryan] and he says he loved the place. But what does it mean when you love that place but you still don’t want to be there. You want to be here. I think that speaks volumes.
“Adam Cole is a guy that I’ve never wrestled and I know I’m going to sometime. I look forward to it. Daniel Bryan is a guy I have wrestled and I feel like that’ll happen somewhere down the line too. It’s like at Christmas. You know, I unwrap a gift, I don’t know what’s in it. It could be Adam Cole, could be Daniel Bryan, could be Kenny Omega, could be the Young Bucks, could be Will Hobbs, could be Ricky Starks. I mean it’s just endless, I am so happy right now.”
CM Punk was also featured on the All Out card. He had his first match in seven years, taking on Darby Allin. Punk scored the three-count after he hit the GTS.
For the past seven years, fans had waited to see CM Punk back inside of a wrestling ring and that happened so they only had to wait a few more weeks to see him wrestle again, which happened when he took on Darby Allin.
The match was not the main event of the AEW All Out pay-per-view event. Punk wore long tights instead of traditional trunks.
It was a really slow start and then things started to pick up. Punk used a lot of submissions to slow things down and tell spots. Allin was Irish whipped into the ring post. Punk hit the GTS, but Allin went through the ropes. Punk, Sting, and Allin stood to an ovation after the match.
In the past, it was openly talked about by both Punk and AEW executives that there had been interest by AEW President Tony Khan about bringing in Punk a few years ago. However, Punk felt like they never really made him an offer. He had been open about returning to pro wrestling if the right deal was offered to him and it turns out AEW made that offer.
Last year, the former WWE Champion started having conversations with Khan and reached an understanding as far back as late last year. Punk has confirmed that he knew he would be coming into the promotion while filming Starz’s “Heels” program.
Punk made his promotional debut on the August 21st edition of Rampage and issued a challenge to Allin for this bout. His previous match came in January 2014 in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
Bryan Danielson reportedly signed a deal with AEW. Bodyslam.net was the first to report the news and claimed the initial plan was to have him debut on the Sept. 22 Dynamite show in New York City. He has since updated the report, claiming Bryan’s debut has now been bumped up to the All Out PPV on Sept. 5.
Danielson has mostly remained silent since his last WWE appearance at WrestleMania but CM Punk has been dropping hints. During an appearance on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast, Punk expressed interest in teaming with Bryan Danielson to take on The Young Bucks.
“I wanna wrestle the Young Bucks. I’ve gotta find the right tag partner for that. I mean, if we’re fantasy booking, it’s…when does this come out? Saturday? Okay…I don’t think it’s necessarily giving away spoilers, it’s just me putting my booker hat on,”
“Of all the possibilities, I would do CM Punk and The American Dragon vs. The Young Bucks. It’s so obvious that’s what you do.”
As of now, Matt and Nick Jackson are the AEW Tag Team Champions. That could change tonight as they will defend their gold inside a steel cage at All Out.
Stick with SEScoops tonight as we’ll be providing coverage of All Out. We’ll be bringing you results as well as any updates on surprise appearances.
CM Punk addressed the crowd at the conclusion of the latest episode of AEW Dark.
As Jurassic Express was hanging in the ring after their match, Cult of Personality hit and Punk headed tot he ring. He grabbed a microphone and said he thinks it’s super cool how involved the audience is. They sing wrestlers’ entrance songs, they’re chanting AEW and it’s an amazing party-like atmosphere. “It helps, it really does,” said Punk.
“I’m Super Grateful, Humble Punk now”
– CM Punk
Punk said he’s been tasked with “sending the crowd happy” and led the crowd to sing the ‘Golden Girls’ theme song.
Last week in Milwaukee, he addressed an AEW crowd and told them, if you enjoyed the show, great, tell your friends about it. If you didn’t enjoy the show, “shut the F up.”
He wanted to clarify what he meant by that. He doesn’t mind criticism. In fact, he welcomes criticism, because that’s feedback on how they can improve. However, there is a segment of wrestling fans who are negative for the sake of being negative.
“The part about shutting the f–k up is for the people who hate watch stuff and have nothing good to say, or nothing good to add to the conversation. We don’t need you, so shut the f–k up.”
CM Punk wants Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view to be like a “gigantic party” that makes people wish they were there in person.
“At the end of the day, ya’ll are our bosses,” Punk added. “If you’re not having a good time, please let us know. But if you like what you see, you let us know and we’ll give you all that we have. So, sing those songs, cheer for these guys, boo for the ones you don’t like. And if you don’t like it…”
CM Punk battles Darby Allin tonight at AEW All Out. It will be Punk’s first match in over 7 years.
New AEW signee CM Punk recently appeared on WFAN’s Moose & Maggie. The straight edge star discussed several topics during the interview, including his wife AJ Lee and her potential return to pro wrestling.
Although CM Punk did previously say that there’s no chance of the former WWE Divas Champion returning, he would “love” to see it.
“I would love to see it,” Punk began, “I get asked that question every single time I do an interview and I love it. I absolutely love it, I don’t (think she wants to do it), because she’s a teeny tiny person and she has a bad neck.”
CM Punk on AJ Lee
“So I think the shelf life for females in wrestling, wrestling a full schedule, is a lot shorter, it’s a lot smaller than men” Punk continued. “And I think she’s so focused on what she’s doing now, writing screenplays.”
“She’s working on a million different projects, being pulled in so many directions. I think she would probably, maybe be receptive to the idea of coming back, but that can’t even enter her vocabulary right now. She’s so focused on the movie scripts and TV adaptation of a book she’s working on” Punk concluded.
CM Punk is set to make his in-ring debut for AEW at tonights All Out PPV event from Chicago, Illinois.
Eddie Kingston believes that CM Punk has his smile back.
Punk made his return to the wrestling industry after being away for seven years. The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” left WWE in early 2014. Punk returned on the Aug. 20 edition of AEW Rampage.
Kingston spoke to Inside The Ropes and gave his take on Punk’s return to the wrestling business under the AEW banner.
“I found out because you hear whispers. Certain people who have certain stroke and control were also into the whispers and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s happening.’ Without them telling me it was happening, it was, ‘Oh, it’s happening.’ I got super excited. I first met Punk when I was 21 when he came to CHIKARA for a special seminar. He’s one of the rare guys that has a name that the name brings people in. Nowadays, it’s AEW, that name or WWE, that name or NWA, that name.
“When you put CM Punk, you’re coming for CM Punk. He’s become an old-school name. I love that he’s here. When I look in his eyes, I see old Punk. I see someone who is hungrier and happier. Mentally, in his eyes, I can see he’s in a better place than he was when I saw him while he was with WWE in the end. I ran into him and he didn’t seem like himself. Now, he seems better than himself. That’s good for the locker room because a lot of people can learn from him. That’s good for AEW because a lot of people are going to come and tune in now and they’re going to see everybody and not just him. People coming to see Punk is good for the company. Also, it’s fun. Why do something when it’s not fun? This is fun. I’m living a dream and having him here to help with that dream, selfishly, is amazing.”
Punk is set to have his first match since Jan. 2014. He will go one-on-one with Darby Allin this Sunday night (Sept. 5). The match will be featured on the All Out PPV card inside the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
According to comments CM Punk made to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, WWE reached out to Punk in December through intermediaries. This occurred shortly after Punk had removed himself from the UFC’s USADA drug-testing pool.
“Punk said WWE had been reaching out to him about a return as well, through intermediaries,” Raimondi wrote. Punk continued to say that while he listened to WWE’s overtures, things did not advance far.
“I remember one of the first things I ever said to them was, ‘Above all, don’t play games,'” Punk said. “And they played games. Some things never change. … When you enter a conversation with people you have a past with and you know who they are, how seriously can you take it? I know exactly who they are and they just continue to prove it. I’m trying to be as diplomatic as I possibly can.”
Punk made several comments about his former employer (without referring to them by name) during his appearance at the First Dance last month. Punk then spoke about his comments regarding WWE during an appearance on The Angi Taylor Show.
“The reality is you can’t talk to me, coming back after seven years, without bringing up the place I used to work,” Punk said. “I’m just trying to do my best to not sling mud so to speak because everything I say about them is 100% the truth.”
Punk will take on Darby Allin tomorrow at All Out. It will be his first official match in over 7.5 years. The show will take place from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The arena was formerly known as the Sears Center and was the venue of All In on September 1st, 2018.
Secret meetings, negotiations and ice cream bars: The inside story of ?@CMPunk?’s return to wrestling – via @ESPN App https://t.co/L7Vp6FmI7G
CM Punk made his AEW debut back on the August 20th edition of Rampage from Chicago, Illinois, which marked the first time in seven years that he has worked for a pro wrestling company since he left WWE.
ESPN has an article looking at the signing and included some interesting details. It was noted that Punk actually signed his contract “about 30 minutes” before showtime.
Punk arrived early at the United Center and got a text from his lawyer while there to tell him that he should probably sign his AEW contract before appearing on television.
Punk didn’t sleep for two nights before the big moment. He was nervous and anxious backstage to the point where he was questioning things such as his choice of sneakers.
In February, CM Punk responded to a fan on Twitter who asked him which AEW stars he’d want to face. He listed names such as Powerhouse Hobbs, Darby Allin, Brian Pillman Jr, Ricky Starks, and Jungle Boy.
AEW President Tony Khan texted Punk that he liked his list. Within a few weeks, they started talking about money and how he would debut.
Punk will make his AEW in-ring debut against Darby Allin at Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view event from Chicago, IL at the NOW Arena. It will be his first match since the Men’s Royal Rumble bout in January 2014.
Posted September 3rd, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: CM Punk.
CM Punk has had trouble containing his enthusiasm for Bryan Danielson potentially joining him in AEW. He recently told a live AEW crowd that they might have to “be patient” after a “Yes!” chant broke out.
During an interview with WFAN, Punk addressed the rumors of Bryan potentially debuting in the company. “Listen, the 7 years I was gone, if you told me who is the one guy that could get you back to wrestling, you just have one match with them, it would be him,” Punk said when asked about Bryan on the show.
“I don’t know if that answers your question or not. The guy was in the WrestleMania main event 6 months ago, so that would be a huge acquisition. I think he could, just like me, I think he could do everything he wants to do.”
“For a guy like him and me, pro wrestling is art, this is our art.”
Tony Khan was also asked about the rumors of Bryan Danielson during an interview on Wrestling Observer Radio. Khan opted not to answer questions about Danielson during the discussion, however.
“I can’t answer that question. It’s fair for you to ask that question but it’s not anything I could address on the Observer today but it’s fair enough for you to ask it. He’s one of the all-time greats,” Khan said.
CM Punk continues to do the media rounds ahead of Sunday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view from Chicago. Punk appeared on Busted Open Radio this week. He had a lot to say during his chat with hosts Dave LaGreca and Tommy Dreamer.
There is still a lot of curiosity surrounding CM Punk’s motivation to return to pro wrestling with AEW. Punk has repeatedly touted the company’s young roster. When asked who he is looking forward to working with, he gave a more general answer than we’ve heard previously. “Lame answer: Everybody,” said Punk.
CM Punk said he’s never worked with Kenny Omega or the Young Bucks. He wrestled Cody Rhodes in WWE back in 2008, but sees that as another interesting match-up.
CM Punk in AEW
Earlier this week, Punk told Angi Taylor that he never considered returning to WWE. Throughout his 7-year hiatus from wrestling, Punk said, “I don’t think going back to WWE was ever really, logically, on the table.”
WWE is the premiere wrestling organization in the world. Despite its loaded roster, CM Punk saw way more “big money matches” awaiting him in AEW.
“Why wouldn’t I want to go there? You talk about ‘Big Money Matches’, there are way more in AEW than anywhere else for me.”
-CM Punk on his decision to join AEW
Punk added that AEW has a “punk rock” feeling to it. Some of the younger performers are a bit rough around the edges, which he sees as a very good thing. They have trained around the world under a variety of different styles, unlike WWE which has a very specific style they expect wrestlers to conform to.
CM Punk talks big money matches in AEW:
https://youtu.be/QIfclcEtbZE
Posted September 2nd, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: CM Punk.
CM Punk believes that a return to WWE was pretty much out of the question.
Punk made his return to the pro wrestling industry after being away for seven years. The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” appeared on the Aug. 20 episode of AEW Rampage. He addressed his decision to return and revealed he will be wrestling Darby Allin at All Out on Sept. 5.
Appearing on The Angi Taylor Show, Punk explained not mentioning WWE by name in his return promo.
“I understand life’s tough and not everybody can do it, but I’m just somebody that will just never compromise myself. And I say the place I used to work because I don’t feel it’s specifically necessary to mention them when I don’t have to. I am full of anxiety and stress doing press for AEW right now that I’m inadvertently going to say a whole bunch of stupid stuff. People are going to break it down and use out-of-context quotes for clickbait.
“But the reality is you can’t talk to me, coming back after seven years, without bringing up the place I used to work. I’m just trying to do my best to not sling mud so to speak because everything I say about them is 100% the truth. I just want to focus on and highlight the positives of the new place I work, AEW. I’m trying here, I’m trying.”
Punk went on to say there was a time when he didn’t even think about making a return to the ring before AEW got started. He also made it clear that he doesn’t feel a WWE comeback was ever going to happen.
“I don’t think I considered it. Three years ago, five years ago I don’t think AEW even existed. I don’t think going back to WWE was ever really, logically, on the table.”
Punk made his exit from WWE following the 2014 Royal Rumble PPV. Punk was said to be destined for a WrestleMania match with Triple H that year. CM Punk told Colt Cabana that he was scheduled to win that match but he was burned out by that point.
Posted September 1st, 2021 in AEW, News. Tagged: CM Punk.
CM Punk puts rest to any rumors brewing about his wife AJ Lee returning since he made his return to AEW on August 20. He gave her a shout-out on the show, saying “One more thing, I just wanna say hi to my beautiful wife, sitting at home. I love you April.” Lee even joked about it later on Twitter, responding, “Wasn’t expecting to hear my government name tonight.” While Lee’s fans are hoping she will follow in her husband’s footsteps and make a return to wrestling herself, it unfortunately seems like it won’t be happening anytime soon.
CM Punk stated that Lee’s not gonna make a return to wrestling and he’s going to quash any rumors about it. The reason he stated is that Lee’s neck is not in a good condition and it would jeopardize her health to be in the ring right now.
“I just want to say, no,” Punk told The New York Post. “Just because [of] her neck. The reason she stopped wrestling is because of her neck. She’s got a bad neck, you know. I wouldn’t want her to jeopardize [her] health and neither would she, so we’ll put an end to that rumor right now.”
Dr Britt Baker recently said that she would like to see AJ Lee come out of retirement and wrestle in AEW. She revealed that she was a big fan of AJ Lee during her WWE run and would love to wrestle her. She also added that a Punk & Lee vs Baker & Adam Cole match could happen too. “I was a big AJ Lee fan. One of the first moves I asked my trainer to teach me when I was training was her finished the Black Widow. So, that would be really cool. I would love to see her back in the ring. I would love to see her in the ring with me.”
Big E, however, has said that if Lee decides to return to the WWE, the company would pull out the red carpet for her and she could even have a schedule akin to Brock Lesnar. “I also think, if she wants it, of course, there very easily is a massive place for her,” he said. “I feel like she’s in this legend territory where she comes back and she gets a massive pop. She can have a Brock Lesnar type schedule if she wanted to and work a few times a year. So, if it’s something she wants, of course there’s a place for her.”
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon does not always see eye-to-eye with his top stars. CM Punk was no exception. Their personal relationship became so contentious that it became material for on-air storylines. It ultimately led to his departure from the company.
Punk is doing the media rounds this week to promote Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view, where he’ll debut against Darby Allin. During an appearance on Chicago’s 670 The Score on Tuesday, the Best in the World recalled his first big disagreement with his former boss.
“I was always going tell him the truth. I was always going to be honest.”
– CM Punk
CM Punk says the heated conversation took place at the end of 2006. The topic at hand was the creative plans for the infamous ECW December to Dismember event. He says this was the first time he was honest and truthful with Vince McMahon and feels it laid the groundwork for their relationship.
You can hear Punk recall the conversation in the player below:
https://youtu.be/lvmiFwjfUno
CM Punk: Wrestling is Art
Punk covered a lot of topics during his appearance on 670 The Score, ranging from the origin story of the Cult of Personality to what brought him back to wrestling.
In the lead-up to his pro wrestling return, CM Punk stated several times that it would take more than a big paycheck to lure him back. For him, it was more about working with young talent and being part of compelling storylines.
To Punk, pro wrestling is an art form. He considers himself an artist and questions anyone who attempts to interpret his art.
“I’m not so much worried about what other people think of my art. It’s just my art & i’m here to use it as an expression of myself.”
– CM Punk
Listen to CM Punk’s comments about “wrestling is art” –
CM Punk got the internet buzzing with some initials he drew on his sneakers and he has revealed the meaning.
Punk made his electric return to wrestling on Aug. 20. He made his AEW debut inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Punk then had an in-ring interview with Tony Schiavone on the Aug. 25 edition of Dynamite.
It didn’t take long for fans to notice several initials on Punk’s sneakers such as “AC” and “CF.” Theories ran rampant on the Internet with some believing that “AC” stood for Adam Cole and “CF” stood for Charlotte Flair.
Speaking to the New York Post, Punk revealed the true meaning behind two of those initials.
“I stole this from LeBron James; a lot of basketball players will write messages on their shoes and stuff. I wrote AC on my shoes and CF on the other foot. AC is Always Chicago and CF is Chicago Forever.”
CM Punk
Punk had some other initials on his sneakers that he did not address. One of them was “BW.” This has led many to speculate that it stood for Bray Wyatt, who was released by WWE.
CM Punk is scheduled to have his first match since January 2014. He will meet Darby Allin at the All Out PPV on Sept. 5. The action will be held inside the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Punk left WWE following the 2014 Royal Rumble PPV event. He cited the lack of time off, a misdiagnosis of a staph infection, and creative differences as the reasons for his departure.
This week’s episode of Dynamite will mark the 100th episode of the show. Dynamite first aired on October 2, 2019. Tomorrow’s episode will be significant for the 100th episode and the last episode before All Out. AEW also announced five matches for the 100th episode. However, the promotion hasn’t revealed what the main event would be.
AEW promoted on August 29th that Chris Jericho would do an in-ring interview with Jim Ross on tomorrow’s episode. Today, AEW shared that CM Punk will also appear on the show to promote his upcoming match with Darby Allin at All Out.
CM Punk Return to Chicago
Punk will be making his return to Chicago after his debut on AEW Rampage on August 20th. As a Chicago native, Punk received a thunderous ovation from the crowd. On the August 20th episode of Rampage, he also challenged Allin to a match at All Out.
In his return, Punk said to Allin, “…You’re the first on the list. I’m going to help you because you are a daredevil and you like danger. Well, Darby Allin, there is nothing you could do that is more dangerous than wrestling CM Punk. Except wrestling CM Punk in Chicago.”
CM Punk makes his in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling this weekend at AEW All Out. He’ll face Darby Allin in the most anticipated match of what’s happing up to be AEW’s biggest show of the year.
Punk appeared on ESPN’s SportsNation this week and was asked about his decision to sign with AEW. According to Punk, AEW’s locker room has really impressed him.
“It kind of helped breathe life back into my love of professional wrestling,” Punk said of AEW. “I see this young, upstart company that’s full of what I call punk rock youthful exuberance. Rough around the edges but just so eager to learn and soak up everything they possibly can. It’s new and it’s exciting.”
CM Punk on AEW’s Locker Room
Punk continued to talk about how the AEW locker room keeping news of Brodie Lee’s illness a secret impressed him.
“One of the big things that turned me on to them and made me consider going there was, unfortunately, the wrestling world lost Brodie Lee last December,” he said. “His sickness and everything that came with it was known in the company but they kept it so secret. And wrestlers will always tell you that ‘oh the boys, we’re a big family, we care about each other, the wrestling business…’ none of that is entirely true but to see everyone in the company band together just to keep a secret about somebody’s health, I was blown away by that. I was blown away that it wasn’t plastered all over every single website and it was just kept secret. And that made me go, ‘there’s something to that locker room.'”
Watch CM Punk’s comments about choosing AEW over WWE below:
CM Punk says that his Ricky Rabies character on “Heels” is in honor of Tracy Smothers.
“Heels” airs on Starz. Its debut episode premiered on Aug. 15, just before Punk’s big AEW debut. The show stars Stephen Amell, who plays the role of heel Jack Spade. Alexander Ludwig plays the role of Spade’s brother, Ace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKFfSSXavYc
Punk also plays a heel wrestler on the show, taking on the role of Ricky Rabies. During an interview with Sportskeeda, CM Punk revealed that Rabies is an homage to the late Tracy Smothers.
“Ricky Rabies is Tracy Smothers you know and we lost Tracy a couple of years ago and he was the first name I ever wrestled, maybe. I wrestled Tracy Smothers in a barn in Southern Indiana in 1999 or 2000, something like that. And he just walked up to me, he’s like, ‘hey man I seen you work, you’re good, listen, uh, I can’t remember sh*t you know, is it okay we just go out there and do it? I can’t memorize this and that, we can talk about it but I’ll just forget it.'”
Smothers passed away on Oct. 28, 2020. He was 58 years old. Smothers had been battling cancer and heart issues.
Posted August 30th, 2021 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.
Tony Khan admits he had been in talks with CM Punk for quite a while.
When CM Punk arrived in AEW, it was the worst kept secret. AEW intended for it to be that way, dropping hints of Punk’s arrival for weeks. When Punk made his appearance on the second episode of Rampage, the crowd inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois came unglued.
During an interview with the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Khan revealed that he had been speaking to CM Punk for years.
“We’ve been talking a really long time, and a few years ago, it just wasn’t the right time. I think he wanted to see how this thing went. He wasn’t ready to come back to wrestling, especially not for a startup company. Now we’re long past the startup phase. It’s been really successful. We signed a big TV extension and I think once we got the extension and it looked like we were going to be in place for a while, it probably made the company look a lot more like a stable option for CM Punk, honestly.”
Punk is set to have his first match since 2014. He’ll share the ring with Darby Allin on the All Out PPV event. It’ll be held inside the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Sept. 5.
CM Punk, Becky Lynch, and Brock Lesnar all returned to pro-wrestling after varying lengths of absences recently. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE brought back Brock Lesnar and may have sped up the return of Becky Lynch due to pressure to appease Fox after CM Punk debuted for AEW.
“FOX was very upset that WWE didn’t make a big offer to Punk to keep him from going to AEW, and politically, WWE felt the need to get Lesnar and Lynch to Smackdown right away,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Fox and CM Punk are said to have a good relationship stemming from his time on WWE Backstage.
In terms of Becky Lynch, she was likely always returning at SummerSlam, anyway. For Lesnar, however, his deal was said to have been made very last minute. Meltzer noted that those close to the situation are “saying it was literally a last-minute deal that was put together for a number of reasons, all in some form related to FOX, C.M. Punk showing up in AEW and John Cena leaving.”
It was also noted that the reason Lesnar looked leaner than usual is that he did not have advanced notice he’d be returning. Both Lesnar and Lynch will be headed to the Smackdown brand with Lesnar challenging Reigns for the Universal title and Lynch now the Smackdown Women’s Champion after defeating Bianca Belair on Saturday.
