On August 20th, 2021, CM Punk made his long-awaited return to professional wrestling. After weeks of speculation and thinly-veiled hints from AEW, the ‘Second City Saint’ arrived on AEW Rampage: First Dance.
Over seven years after his last WWE appearance, Punk debuted as a member of the opposition and immediately set the internet alight. His opening promo was… inflammatory, to say the least, as he made his statement of intent and threw his former employer under the bus.
Punk’s first AEW run was certainly a sight to behold. His initial feud with Darby Allin was an interesting choice, but ultimately their work together helped to boost both profiles.
However, his storyline opposite MJF really kicked things up a notch.
Better Than You
Punk’s role as the veteran against MJF’s position as one of the future stars of the business made for compelling viewing on a weekly basis. Both men were on their own level with a microphone in their hands, but their in-ring work also stands out as being excellent.
Particularly, their Dog Collar match at AEW Revolution 2022 has been widely regarded as one of, if not Punk’s best match of his AEW career.
Unfortunately, Punk’s waxsome wings seemed to take him too close to the sun, as he became embroiled in a fiery feud with ‘Hangman’ Adam Page.
Cowboy Shots
Page and Punk’s work together was, for the most part, intriguing. However, during the 25th May episode of AEW Dynamite, a promo segment between the pair blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality.
Ultimately, the ‘Best in the World’ came out on top of this feud and claimed the AEW World Championship in the process. He vanquished his rival and he was on top of the world until he hit a speedbump in the form of Jon Moxley.
‘Mox’ returned to AEW in May 2022, claiming that he was the rightful AEW World Champion. This threw a spanner into Punk’s plans, which led to a match between the two at AEW All Out 2022.
Brawl Out
Punk vs. Moxley was the main event of AEW All Out 2022, with the AEW World Championship on the line. A solid show, with an exciting main event, but the real talking points came after the fact.
Punk picked up the win over Moxley, claiming his second AEW World Championship in the process. After the show, he would go on to take part in his one and only AEW press conference, alongside Tony Khan.
Most of the questions asked of Punk were above board until he began to speak about his former adversary – Page. The ‘Chick Magnet’ fired off his opinions on Page, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega (AEW EVPs).
These, of course, were not well-received. Reportedly, there was a backstage incident between The Elite and Punk, which also allegedly involved Ace Steel, that would result in all members involved being suspended.
Collision & The ‘Real’ World Champion
The Elite made their return to AEW on November 19, 2022. However, Punk wouldn’t be seen in an AEW ring until June 2023, returning at the same time as AEW debuted their Saturday night show, AEW Collision.
AEW Collision was, reportedly, established as a way to keep Punk and The Elite separate, all while working under the AEW umbrella.
Punk returned with his AEW World Championship, claiming that he was the ‘Real’ World Champion, having never lost the belt due to his injury and suspension after AEW All Out 2022. He defended that belt just twice after returning.
Once against Ricky Starks, on AEW Collision. The other occasion was on August 27th, 2023, at Wembley Stadium.
Brawl In
Prior to his match with Samoa Joe at AEW All In 2023, Punk got into a backstage altercation with Jack Perry. The scuffle between the two ultimately led to Punk getting suspended and eventually, fired from AEW on September 2nd, 2023.
Just over two years after returning to professional wrestling, Punk was seemingly gone again. It seemed like Punk had burned all of his bridges in the business, and no one expected to see him again.
Hell Froze Over
For ten years, WWE fans had chanted the name of a man who wasn’t employed by the company. Punk was a beacon of hope for those who didn’t align with the product they were being served weekly.
However, after his unceremonious departure from the company in January 2014, nobody expected to see him in WWE ever again. That was until hell froze over at WWE Survivor Series: Wargames 2023.
All night, the attending fans in Chicago, Illinois had been chanting for Punk. However, it didn’t seem as though it would come to fruition until the main event had reached its conclusion.
As the show began to go off the air, “Cult of Personality” hit and the Allstate Arena became unglued.
Ten Years Later
Punk’s first match in WWE for a decade was the Royal Rumble. WWE Royal Rumble 2024 played host to his in-ring return to the company, as he entered, and lasted until the final four.
Despite the excitement of this night, his happiness was short-lived. Drew McIntyre hit a Future Shock DDT on Punk, which sadly put the ‘Punker’ on the shelf for six months.
This setback only seemed to fuel Punk, however, as he set out to ensure that McIntyre would never see a moment of peace again. After physical attacks and verbal violence for the majority of 2024, the pair finally managed to get a match against one another at WWE SummerSlam 2024.
With Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins as the Special Guest Referee, McIntyre secured an emphatic victory over Punk. The duo are set to face off in a Strap Match at WWE Bash in Berlin 2024, which will likely be the site of a Punk victory, leading to a rubber match at WWE Bad Blood 2024.
Three Years of Punk
It’s almost impossible to summarise CM Punk’s return to professional wrestling in a succinct fashion, if only due to the amount of headlines that he generates on a seemingly weekly basis. However, considering that it seemed impossible that we would ever see the ‘Best in the World’ in a professional wrestling ring again until August 20th, 2021, it’s incredible to see just how much has transpired since that day.
Here’s to another three years (and more) for the most-discussed man in professional wrestling.
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