So Long, Punk
The sad and inevitable conclusion that could only end this way.
CM Punk (Credit-AEW)
Alexa, play “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day.
If you’re a wrestling fan, you already know that CM Punk has been terminated, with cause, by All Elite Wrestling so I’m not going to recap it here. This article is a discussion on CM Punk (Phil Brooks) and the legacy he’s left after a 2 year run with AEW.
CM Punk’s return is partially responsible for this website and our (currently on hiatus) podcast. Chris, Sean and I had talked about it for years but in drunken happiness after All Out 2021, we plotted our plan for a wrestling podcast and website, just before the lights went out for all three of us due to Sean’s love of buying shots.
What a time it was, too. Ever since CM Punk abruptly left WWE in 2014, wrestling fans had been fantasy booking his return to the squared circle. Would it be in WWE? NJPW? Some random local show in a mask? Then, the inaugural All In happened. Would he show up in Chicago to the largest indie wrestling event of all time (I’m assuming that’s right but have not fact checked)? Nope. Then AEW happened and there were 2 types of people in the world at this time: those who thought he’d show up at every PPV as a surprise and those who said he’d never show up. Technically, neither were correct but god what a debut he had on Rampage at the United Center.
Punk truly had it all, including an opportunity to deliver on an almost impossible to live up to expectation from fans that yearned for his return. At first it was great. His opening promo about leaving sports entertainment and returning to wrestling. His “stage diving” into fans during entrances. Hell, I remember Chris reflecting on just how happy he looked and how nice it was to see knowing how miserable Punk was known to be. Unfortunately, it seems that for as many enemies as he’s made in the business, he is his own biggest foe.
The most frustrating thing for me as someone who loved every aspect of the on screen work of CM Punk (other than when he’d wear the long bois) is that he’s seemingly always behaving worse than those who seem to offend him most. Hangman’s “workers rights” comment was good in the moment of the promo and then we all moved on. To be honest, I thought it was a great promo and I was stoked for Double or Nothing. Punk claimed he couldn’t focus on the match he had vs. Hangman due to his fears of Page shooting on him and causing potential injury. I personally think this is Punk creating a narrative to excuse his behavior a few months later and don’t think it was a real fear he had. If anything, I’d imagine it like those losers we all know that go out at night just hoping someone says something to them at the bar to start a fight. Then Punk comes back and after Collision ends completely buries Hangman to the live crowd, as if he’d learned nothing from the year prior.
Then the All In London incident happened and honestly, I was so relieved that we were breaking from the podcast immediately after so I didn’t have to fill week to week with takes on what happened, who is at fault and asking will Punk ever wrestle again. To that last question, if he does, I don’t see myself caring like I did in 2021. His promos will still be great but ultimately will be seen by me as a reflection of his own insecurities rather than of his opponent (eg. when he called the Young Bucks counterfeits and soft, which, in the moment I loved because I’d hope for a feud).
I’m glad Tony Khan took a stand this time. I’m glad this is the last time I have to discuss CM Punk drama. I’m glad that AEW chose to address the problem, rather than going silent and letting fans imaginations run wild, leading to hijacked shows and constant, “he’s coming back” rumors. Despite all that, I’m glad we got him back while we did. His return eliminated many “what ifs” and I think showed many of us (yes, myself included) that maybe his other enemies were not always the villains like he often portrays them to be.
Last match at Wembley (Credit-AEW)
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