I know. I should be angry, right? Furious, even. As a a huge fan of AEW, Tony Khan’s firing of CM Punk a few months back was one of the main reasons why I wondered if we should be worried about AEW. And now, here Punk is, fresh-faced and with a brand new haircut in the WWE. Honestly, I should want to punch a wall.
But, do you know what? I don’t. In fact, I’m actually pretty happy for CM Punk. Because sure, I can get on here and pretend like I’m mad about CM Punk being back like Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins (because personally, I’m of the opinion that it’s all a work), but why pretend when I’m not mad? I’m actually happy! So, here are 5 reasons why I, a huge AEW fan, wish CM Punk well on his next run.
CM Punk Still Has Some Unfinished Business In The WWE That I Would Like To See
Honestly, I haven’t really watched WWE in a while. AEW is what brought this lapsed wrestling fan back to being a weekly watcher, and whenever I tuned in to Raw or SmackDown!, it was usually just to see what “the competition” was up to.
That said, it’s probably just because I don’t really care too much about the current WWE roster. But, when somebody returns from when I was still an avid fan of the WWE, like, say The Rock, you better believe I’m tuning in.
And for me, CM Punk is just that guy. I remember when Punk delivered his explosive pipe bomb promo, as I was sitting right in front of my television at the time. Back then, I was in agreement with many that CM Punk was “the best in the world,” and what I wanted more than anything was to see Punk headline WrestleMania.
Sure, Punk himself says that he DID headline WrestleMania when he took on the Undertaker, since that was probably (I say definitely) the best match of the night. But when it comes down to brass tacks, Punk never truly main evented WrestleMania, and I’d really love to see that become a reality.
Now, Punk doesn’t actually have to win that match. But, I would still love to see him get that main event. Will it ever happen? Honestly, it’s too early to say. But if they can build a feud between him and Seth Rollins over the next few months, then hey. Anything is possible.
A Part Of Me Still Feels Like The AEW Locker Room Was Partly To Blame For All Of The Backstage Chaos With CM Punk
Look, I’m a big fan of “Hangman” Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks (I even once called the Bucks the best tag-team in AEW), but I have to say, I’m not so certain that Punk was entirely to blame for either of his backstage scuffles.
I frequently go back to watch the post media scrum from 2022 for when Punk got in trouble the first time around. This happened before sources claim that the Young Bucks “kicked the door down” to enter Punk’s locker room.
Obviously, I wasn’t there, but the fact that Punk was brought back (as well as the Bucks and Omega, who were also suspended for a while) kind of leads me to believe that maybe Punk wasn’t completely to blame for what followed that night, as some wrestling fans I’ve talked to tend to believe.
Now, I’m not entirely sure if I have the same feelings when it comes to the second time that Punk was fired. With this scenario, we heard all kinds of stories about his scuffle with Jack Perry (who himself was kind of goading Punk when he told him to “cry me a river” when he used real glass for a spot at the All In Pay-Per-View).
As I said, Perry was pretty much pushing Punk’s buttons, so I don’t know if what came next was completely Punk’s fault. It’s more the fact that some sources claim that Punk actually “lunged” at his boss, Tony Khan, and if that’s the case, then Punk was completely in the wrong in that regard.
All the same, I’m one to believe that while Punk may have certainly been in the wrong on both occasions, I don’t think he was completely in the wrong for either. At least not when it comes to Jack Perry, the Young Bucks, or Omega. But going after your own boss (if that’s true) is pretty scummy. I don’t condone that in the slightest.
Another Part Of Me Feels Like The WWE Roster Will Be A Lot More Intriguing Now With CM Punk Attached To It
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t really find much interest in the current WWE roster. Gunther? Austin Theory? Logan freaking Paul as the United States Champion? No, thank you.
But, add Punk to the mix, and you know what? Maybe I do want to check out more of this so-called “Ring General” Gunther. Throw in CM Punk, and maybe I can finally find something interesting in a big man like Braun Strowman. Hell, maybe I’d even like to see Brock Lesnar if it meant that he’d be facing off against CM Punk again.
However, it’s not only the guys that I don’t particularly care for that I might be interested in watching now, but also wrestlers I actually like in the WWE, like AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakumara, or hell, Dominik Mysterio. I mean, man. I would watch the hell out of CM Punk feuding with “Dirty” Dom. So, yeah. Punk might just get me back into the WWE. And I’m sure I’m not alone, either. But that might also cause some problems with my favorite wrestling company…
I Also Feel Like AEW Is Going To Really Need To Step Up Its Game In Order To Compete With WWE With Punk On Board
Look, I’m a busy man. And while I’d love to watch wrestling three or four times a week, I honestly can’t keep up. For the time being, I watch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights, and AEW Collision on Saturday nights (I don’t even bother with AEW Rampage on Fridays anymore). But, I have a new problem because now I want to watch CM Punk. And I’ll watch him wherever he goes. If he’s on Raw, then I’ll watch Raw. If he’s on SmackDown!, then I'll watch SmackDown!
But, this also gets me kind of excited for AEW, because now they really have to step up their game if they’re going to compete for wrestling fans’ hearts and minds. Because look, while I definitely have a sense of loyalty to AEW, I honestly only really find MJF, who I once called “the best thing to happen to pro-wrestling in years” to be super interesting in AEW these days.
In a lot of ways, I’d hate to say this, but my interest in AEW is kind of flagging ever since Punk’s second firing. It’s not that the matches aren’t good any longer, as they definitely are. But it’s the storylines. I just don’t find them all that compelling right now. And if there’s any king of storytelling, it’s CM Punk.
So, I’m really hoping that him going to the WWE will light a fire under Tony Khan’s ass to book like he’s never booked before, because honestly, he has to now. CM Punk is back, baby, which brings me to my last point.
And Finally, I Just Really Like CM Punk
Yes, I’m a huge AEW fan (I’m still watching twice a week, aren’t I?), but do you know what? I’m an even bigger CM Punk fan. All the way back in 2021, I wrote about how I would have preferred if CM Punk returned to the WWE rather than go to AEW, and honestly, I still feel that way.
It was definitely nice to see Punk back in wrestling when he was in AEW, but he never really fit in there. Sure, Chris Jericho feels like he fits in there, and definitely Christian Cage, but CM Punk, for all his talent, never really felt like he was a member of the roster. He was more of an outsider, which was always kind of his role when he was in WWE, but it was never as glaring as it was when he was in AEW, where he actively looked like he wasn’t having a good time.
So, even as an AEW fan, I’m not upset that CM Punk is back with the WWE. I’m too big of a fan of his to be angry at the dude.
But, what do you think? Are you happy that CM Punk is back with the WWE? For more news on all things Punk-related, be sure to swing by here often!
