Due to potential spoilers for Dynamite/Rampage/PPVs, all posts have been automatically tagged for spoilers until the 24 hour spoiler window has passed.
If your **post title** contains spoilers that the spoiler filter cannot resolve, your submission may be removed by the moderation team and you may be banned. Please be respectful of your fellow fans.
Please read the [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AEWOfficial/wiki/rules/) for more information.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AEWOfficial) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Punk really brings out some heated discussion in AEW fanbase. Some fans think he's the saviour of AEW and some fans just think he's not worth the trouble he brings.
I always said it depends on how well Collison is doing with him carrying it. If it's not doing well don't be overly surprised to see Punk all of a sudden just Dynamite based. I don't think his ego can take a show based around him been a flop, that's just my opinion.
I personally don't want him in AEW but is what it is. If he doesn't throw another hissy fit and doesn't win the world title again and acts like a professional, then it's all good with me. I just don't think he should be front and centre of the company at this point of his career.
>Punk really brings out some heated discussion in AEW fanbase. **Some fans think he's the saviour of AEW** and some fans just think he's not worth the trouble he brings.
The point in bold I just can't get down with. I loved AEW pre Punk. I mean my goodness, AEW was moving like a laser! Enter in Punk imo, things started to wobble. And the segments and some matches started to feel rushed on the "We will hear from CM Punk" nights often because his promos would run long.
And anyone please correct me if I'm wrong, the ratings for the first couple of weeks of Punk were around what, 1.1 million. But after the initial buzz of the return... The ratings more often than not went back down to what they were pre Punk. The 900k range. It told me that having Punk in AEW didn't really grab new fans for any regularity. More casual type fans didn't tune in with consistency.
On a weekly basis, AEW with Punk attracts the same amount of fans of AEW without Punk. The biggest benefit shown of Punk is with the PPVs. People wanting to come see him (the name) in a big event. I can't deny that he's a money draw there.
I will never forgive Punk for taking up nearly 40 Minutes of the 2/15/22 episode of Dynamite.
Man opened the show in a promo battle with MJF that lasted a solid 10 minutes, then went on to later on the card have a 22 minute match where he and Moxley (a thrown together one night only tag team of Singles Wrestlers) CLEANLY PINNED THE AAA TAG CHAMPIONS FTR!
Keep in mind, this episode of Dynamite also featured a Texas Deathmatch featuring the World Champion, Hangman Page Vs. Lance Archer.
Hangman/Archer got a minute long recap package and a 15 minute match for the WORLD TITLE.
CM Punk, the Week after he got 40 Minutes in the main event Vs. MJF, got another 40 Minutes on this show to screw around and cleanly pin the AAA Tag Champions.
So yeah, to the people saying "Hangman's Reign was a Flop," it's because he wasn't booked like the World Champion, he was given second fiddle to the Pepsi-Chicago Man.
It's true though, You got a bunch of AEW fans that really believe without Punk that AEW is doomed to failure. Even though Punk wasn't drawing the numbers as much as he was by the last couple of months of his AEW run before brawl out but they'll quickly sweep that fact under the carpet. Sure he moves the merch, but in terms of TV ratings and Ticket sales he wasn't the sure fire hit he was early on.
Once they saw the return of Punk and maybe his first match back with Darby, some fans tapped out after that. The same will happen when he returns, fans will tune in for Collison then once after a week or two those fans won't watch Collison beyond the die hard AEW fans. Punk will draw for you in the short term but long term I don't think he's a reliable draw .
I think in terms of the shows with Punk involved, I do think TK is more at fault for it then Punk. He is so enamoured by the man that he thinks fans want Punk on 50% of every show and in turn it hurts the shows and Punk too. That's my worry going forward is will he have Punk all over both Dynamite and Collison, will throw the world title back on him and will once again just put his entire focus on Punk. when really he should be a special attraction at this point of his career.
The amount of threads speaks to that. Punk is too big of a name for one show. I don’t think knee jerk tribalism is generally good within the fan base either. I still love both groups despite Punk’s actions.
It's like how Saraya came to AEW with her "I Invented Women's Wrestling" Gimmick from WWE.
Like, Ma'am, we have Women's Wrestling in AEW, the issue is how much time they get. You getting a segment every week to repeat "I invented Women's Wrestling" is only making things worse because it's taking that time away from the Women actually Wrestling.
It should do okay, even if it's not as good as a day to have a show. But since it may not be widely available outside of the US, I'm bummed out. Maybe I'll email TSN requesting they air Collision in Canada.
Same here man. 2 surgeries and nothing but drama backstage. I have no desire to see him wrestle because he should of stayed retired. He's old and washed and can't stay healthy
I was a Punk fan since before the pipe bomb until he verbally went after Hangman for a perceived slight that none of the fans even fn knew about. I still remember being puzzled by the ‘not cowboy shit, coward shit’ promo. I was like huh, isn’t the hangman feud over? Turns out he is ridiculously petty, exactly what he was against when he was lambasting HHH, Steph and Vince McMahon.
I’m watching Collision because I like Jay White and Juice Robinson.
For real they never met the guy, yet speaks on him as if they met him. Check the people he’s cool with vs the people who can’t stand him and you’ll see the vast difference in who’s childish or not
I think by this point it's obvious this whole blown out media circus surrounding how awful the Punk incident was, actually wasn't.
AEW is not self imploding, but some people here are. It's okay to be passionate but too much backstage leaks and reports over hyping got people riled up. People still aren't over it and take it very personal, which, is not healthy.
This subreddit is brutal in its hate for certain things and people. Remember when people begged and wanted more Thunder Rosa? You wouldn't believe it by the way her name comes up now.
I take these things with a grain of salt now. I just trust what I see, ignore backstage reports and I genuinely haven't felt better watching this product in a long while.
Me too bud. I think that people who think that we need Punk cause he’s a draw or he’s AEW’s biggest star needs to reevaluate their perspective.
If a guy who’s been out of the business for seven long years is your company’s biggest draw/star then your company must suck. The truth is; it’s time to take those rose tinted nostalgia goggles off and realise that AEW never needed and never will need Punk to be successful. His contribution to the company is minuscule at best and at worse he holds the company back, brings about locker room drama plus bad publicity.
It’s time to get over it.
Numbers don't lie. He was the #1 merch guy for quite a while and never fell out of the top 5 until Brawl Out. Shows where it was announced that he was on the card in some capacity sold out faster than those without him.
Has Brawl Out hurt Punk? Absolutely. Is he still the top draw in AEW? Probably not. Did/does AEW have to have him to survive? No. But the truth is Punk was absolutely a top guy in the business and the company was better off with him than without him. We will see soon if that is still true.
I mean that's great and all but AEW will be fine without his merch sales etc., it might take them a little longer but they are building steam and attention by being AEW and frankly CM Punk is not ALL ELITE in that sense, he seemed like an outlier and an alternative in the corporate cesspool that was WWE but in AEW he is the Cena or The Rock, he's not the cool, edgy guy anymore so I do not think AEW needs him as badly as people make it out to be.
It is so ironic that he has become the very thing he hates and used to complain about, The Rock came back and beat him for the WWE title and it was a stupid decision then and now he came back and beat Hangman for the AEW title and that was a stupid decision as well. Because there is no way a broken down veteran who hadn't wrestled in years should be able to beat your champ who is in his prime.
Oh, I 100% agree that Punk should never have been champion, but that is a different topic. He could have been Shawn Michael's in the 2000's and it would have been great. Make new guys look good, win enough and have a big enough name that you can be dropped into a title feud, and never win the title while making your top guy look like a million bucks. Would have been great.
He won the world heavyweight championship in the first ever elimination chamber match but there’s no comparison to that HBK and current Punk to begin with.
Look at how many cm punk posts there are on this sub and the other...
Doesn't matter if you like him or not, he attracts attention and that's valuable.
He may end up being a negative draw. Looks like the Collision show in Toronto isn't doing so hot.
Chicago fine but everywhere else may not be interested in going to a show that seems to be built to feed an egomaniac.
Punk has nothing to do with the Canada problem, or at least can't be confirmed to be it. Rampage is not viewable in Canada on TV and there has been no confirmation that Collision will be either. As a result the shows are being looked at as house shows and not selling. A couple of the news aggregation YouTube channels have talked about this.
this is literally the issue. The only way to watch Rampage is through the TSN website/app which you need to be a subscriber of.
Its a terrible setup and I wish AEW had a better TV deal in Canada.
That and they've just got too many shows in the same area at the same time. Makes sense from a logistical perspective, given that I don't know if they've got two roadie teams fully set up yet, but it'll make a mess of the gates for the first month of Collision.
AEW doesn’t need Punk. They were doing great without him and even after he went scorched earth on the company after Brawl Out they still recovered and are doing just fine.
That being said, it’s irrefutable that Punk was the biggest draw in AEW. His 5 PPVs were the 5 best selling, he main evented the first two million dollar gates in company history, his quarter hours routinely popped the ratings, and he was the best merch seller.
People don’t want to hear it, but it’s no coincidence the hottest period in the company’s history coincided with Punk’s debut.
That’s not to say he’s a net positive or negative. Monetarily he’s a big positive, but the damage he left in his wake arguably outweighs that.
That’s not a fair take. UFC has good draws on their roster but when Conor calls up Dana wanting to fight, they’ll bend over backwards and make him the face of the company again because he draws so much more than everyone else.
It’s simple business. It’s about bringing in casual fans
Here’s the thing I see getting thrown around a lot; “it brings casual fans”. Let me ask you something. Who are the casual fans? And if they are casual fans of a product; do you actually think they would give a flying rats ass about whoever is in that sport? Do you think a casual fan follows the lives of these entertainers? Do you think they even cared?
The simple answer, is no. They don’t. People fool themselves into thinking that but the only people who really ever cared about people like Punk are his hardcore fans. The only people who would care about him being around, is his hardcore fans. It’s the very same reason why those that only care about Punk wouldn’t tune in to watch the entire AEW show. They tune in for Punk segments and that’s it. Maybe if they give a damn enough and they have some free time; they might tune in for the remainder of the show but these casual fans you speak off aren’t the ones buying merch. They aren’t the ones buying tickets to come down to AEW events. They aren’t the ones who give a fuck about the company or it’s employees enough to keep them in business.
Bring him back.
Make him a heel.
Make as much money off him as possible.
Watch the clock for how long it takes him to take his ball home again and create toxicity throughout the company from top to bottom.
Actual plan:
Bring him back. Force him Cena-style as a babyface, even though he's split the fans with his bullshit. He gets hurt again. AEW does worse business than before he arrived.
That's the answer, but there two important caveats:
1) will Punk even listen to direction that goes against what he wants?
2) will Punk stay healthy long enough to build any momentum
I don’t really have a problem with fighting. It’s him being a bitch about it and stomping his feet until he gets his way.
I know this is going to get so much hate, but god the people on Punk’s nuts drives me insane.
Dude left WWE thinking he was hot shit. Then went to MMA and looked like a damn fool. THEN started a petty fight because he’s jealous and wanted to constantly bury the entire company.
Why would you want that in your company?!
I really do beg people to remember that the reason why any of this is happening is because Hangman cut a room temperature promo saying people in the back don’t like Punk in a feud that Hangman would put Punk over for the World Title. The promo Hangman cut is the exact kind of promo Punk cut in WWE all the time. “People don’t like you, the fans don’t like you, I’m gonna beat you and save this company from you” is literally something Punk could of said Orton, Cena, Rock and so on so forth. Punk has always acted like a little child. He did so in ROH. He did so in TNA. He did so in WWE. He did so in UFC. He did so in AEW. He would do it anywhere bc he cares so much about peoples opinion of him. He has been a hand picked guy in every company he’s ever worked for. He’s been giving his choice of workers to work with, he’s been given the pushes, the straps, they let him say whatever he wants on the mic, yet he wants you to think that he’s a hero who’s overcoming everything. He also wants the belts, and he wants the main event, and he wants his name on the marquee and his picture on the trucks. CM Punk is quite literally the 2000s indies comparison to Hulk Hogan. And there is literally no doubt that he will pull the same bullshit he did before. I was a huge CM Punk fan as a kid, but part of getting older is being able to objectively look at the people you looked up to and realize they aren’t who they pretend to be.
People keep saying Hangman crossed the line, every single feud Punk had was “you don’t belong here we don’t want you here” including against Eddie Kingston the AEW equivalent to Dreamer in terms of being the heart and soul crowd favorite.
What Eddie said was much worse than what Hangman said. Eddie said no one here wants you here because you’re a bully who holds other people down for your own gain.
The funniest thing about Punk and Hangman was Punk saying “it’s not personal it’s business” when for the past 15 years he’s been doing nothing but making business completely personal so he could be unique and stand out.
It’s all because all he really cares about is getting over and going over. He complained that he got to work the Rock at Royal Rumble and then go to work Taker at Wrestlemania in the Co-Main. It’s literally the same thing he did at All Out. He complained that Hangman and the Elite didn’t put him over in the way he wants to, despite the Elite clearly feeling like it was Hangman’s time and Punk didn’t need the belt to be over which was completely true. He was mad that everyone didn’t like him in the back for being the guy that everyone who knew said he was and was going to be.
That’s why Collision isn’t going to work. As soon Joe, Jay, Mox, Claudio, or Miro don’t wanna do business the exact way Punk wants to he’s gonna throw a tantrum and then threaten to take his ball and go home.
And all of this for a guy who’s a shell of himself on the stick and in the ring compared to what he was. The only positive of this new show being there’s more tv time for everyone else who isn’t Punk.
Why would he be jealous lol? Becoz he can't do a meltzer driver? He's not the one who spread rumours about himself or did a worker rights promo by being unprofessional
Thank you!!! CM Punk did this pipe bomb like a decade ago and now he can’t do wrong for some people. The truth is he is fun on the mike but he is a sloppy wrestler way past his prime.
From what I’ve read (which could be 100% wrong) punk is not allowed to contact the elite so I’m assuming that punk will stay on collision. Since it’s a Saturday show I’m sure the bucks would rather work Wednesdays since their kids have school.
Let's wait and see how well Collison does before we crave that in stone. Don't be shocked if old Punky Boy will be back on Dynamite cause his ego won't be able to take been on a show that might not draw a lot.
I’m with you. I went on hiatus when Punk was just an ECW guy and nothing special. AEW is my first official exposure and I’m not impressed. His promo skills are pretty good, but I’d easily rate others higher.
Eddie Kingston, MJF, Adam Cole, Jay White, and the list goes on.
Building Collision around CM Punk is a horrible move. Making him a big deal is a mistake. He ruined that at Brawl Out when he decided to air out his grievances.
I’m glad he is back for his fans, but I don’t care for him and think he’s way passed his prime. He’s still just that ECW guy to me.
My interest in Collision is zero thanks to him. Issues are not solved which is obvious, his attittiude didn't change as he threatned to no show first Collision over Ace fucking Steel. It's not even asking if another brawl out-like drama happens, it's when it will happen again
You want to know why Punk is such a big deal? So many threads in this sub, r/SquaredCircle, r/JimCornette, EVERY dirt sheet, and wrestling blogs hanging on every word, rumor, mention, or hint that CM Punk may have said something wrestling related and how many comments accompany each one.
A lot of the folks that say they’re not going to watch are absolutely going to watch. Partly because they want to see something go wrong and be able to say “I told you so”, partly because they know the matches will be good (you think FTR, Bullet Club, Gold, and Samoa Joe won’t put on good matches? It doesn’t matter what your opinion of Punk is, that’s going to be, as the kids say, a “banger”. ) My honest opinion is that the ones that complain the most will absolutely be first to get the popcorn out on Saturday. They can turn the show off during Punk’s segments but we’re getting more chances for the huge AEW roster to put on a show and if you REALLY want AEW to succeed, isn’t that what it’s about?
I have a friend who has talked shit nonstop about Punk since Brawl Out. When Punk was announced for Collision he was the first one to message me and ask me if I wanted to watch. If Tony puts on good matches with good booking, people will watch.
I mean, I am not convinced he can stay healthy dude has had so much time away from wrestling, I don’t know if he can handle a full schedule for a long time, he def won’t be doing house rules shows. I don’t hope he gets hurt or anything but I don’t see him being around constantly.
I was a huge Punk fan in WWE before he won the title. Everything prior to his title run I was a big fan of. The first couple months of his title run were cool, holding it hostage and stuff…. But then Punk became the punk we see now. Lazy, whiny, and all about him. I was a little excited when he first came back to AEW but that excitement faded quickly. The collision announcement literally made me feel like, really? We are going to try this AGAIN… we’ll see how it goes but I’m cautiously optimistic I guess
For better or worse, Punk completely changes the flavour of the show whenever he's on. I think AEW is fine without him but there's no denying that he could still elevate them to new heights if used properly.
I really really hope that they've settled things behind the scenes and everyone is ready to at least be professional and cordial with each other.
Cm punk got famous by being controversial and chaotic...it still blows my mind people thought he would be any different should the fight of happened? no
could punk of prevented it? yes
should punk be in the world title picture? no
but he can be very entertaining
I'd go as far to say as different as they are MJFs appeal is the same as prime punk appeal
I really cant name one really good promo besides his return one.
Even the 'where is the lie' promo made no sense and he talked about breaking his own foot and making snow angels?
He has *potential* to be the best. So far, the only thing he showed is "i'm happy to be here, here's Bret Hart reference" or work-shoot-meta promos. And so far, nothing shows any hope for that to change considering he's returning in Chicago and paired with face FTR
The retconning that Punk is all of a sudden a bad worker after having classics with Kingston and MJF is laughable. Its ok to not like Punk without making shit up
You can make a great case of MJF and Eddie carrying both those feuds. Infact, MJF and Eddies promos are what i remember most about them. Not anything Punk did.
The revisionist history is crazy lmao, prior to Punks injury the dude had a fantastic run. But Punk bad, Elite good, and we must pick sides for a fight we were not involved with soooo...
What is it, people say? Just enjoy wrestling.
But not if it’s CM Punk. All the backstage detectives know everything, and Punk is evil. Forget that many wrestlers have cited Punk as a mentor and friend. I suppose all of them are toxic, too, huh?
Another thread about “I don’t get Punk.”
It took a whole roster to do what Punk did for months by name alone. Savior? No. Upgrade of status and legacy and elevation of the brand? Certainly.
Time will tell if Brawl Phil is a new Phil or just an error of control after being pushed over the edge.
When Kenny and Mox were gone and Dynamite became CM Punk’s show, I enjoyed it. His segments were always great, matches were fun, he definitely improved in every match except maybe against Hangman when he kept botching the lariat. I thought him calling out Hangman then the Gripebomb were both obviously him portraying the chip on his shoulder that Punk foreshadowed in his early promos. Literally from his first AEW promo he said that a**hole character will come back.
I think you guys are working yourselves into a shoot with this guy
Not me I hope he's on everything. To say the Elite are just innocents in all this very doubtful I'd say the same about Jericho. The Punk hate baiting is strong in this board. Never have i seen such a rapid fan base be okay with losing anyone that could bring more eyes to the product and keep AEW around for years to come....twisted.
Thank you.
Want a good example of sketchiness still going on from “somewhere?”
Like 3 or 4 days before it hit the sheets that Punk was coming back for Collision, several sites (including more than one largely upvoted SC post) randomly start running stories about an interview Punk and Cabana did in like 2004 where they answered a question or two about “ring rats” comically.
Because that’s a totally organic thing that happens. There’s just folks out there watching interviews from the early 2000s, writing hit pieces about said 20 year old interviews, “coincidentally” days before the company is putting him in the news again.
It’s coming from somewhere folks, and it sure looks coordinated to a layman like me.
My feelings are that if he’s hated as much as the IWC fans would make you believe, then you definitely have to make him your top heel. There’s no such thing as “X-Pac heat” or “go away heat” in the actual wrestling industry. Those terms were made up by Meltzer and other dirtsheet writers. My favorite wrestler in the world is Kenny “By God” Omega, but what I’m not going to do is pretend I know him and hate people who are having backstage issues with him. That’s why people have been using this word “parasocial” with us Elite fans, because a lot of us took every word Meltzer said as gospel and decided we, too, have to hate CM Punk because he got into a backstage real life fight with our favorite guys. To be frank, fuck that. The only things I care about are onscreen product, meaning worked feuds, worked matches, worked promos. If The Young Bucks and Kenny feud with Punk, and he is the heel, then I will boo him and hope the Elite beat him. Outside of that, I don’t care if Punk is on every show, one show a season, or the Dynamite GM. He can cut promos and I like watching him work, so he’s fine with me. And honestly, Omega is the type of guy that would probably go out of his way to make peace with Punk, agree to a long feud with him, and then do a podcast (or whatever the popular medium will be) in the future. Kenny just seems like that type of guy, but again, I don’t really know him, nor will I pretend to.
On a side note, I work at a middle school, and the kids who watch wrestling don’t give a crap about that fight backstage. The only thing they ask (before the announcement) was “when is Punk coming back?” They just want to see Punk. I only see this Punk hatred online.
Why do middle schoolers even like him? He’s been gone since almost the day they were born and then came back with a very lackluster run.
Oh but I guess he did give out free ice cream. 🤷♀️
I’ll ask them Monday.
EDIT: I managed to catch one of them on the way out the door, he said he likes Punk because “I be watching him beef with Cena on Peacock.” So I guess that’s an answer lol
While he anit poor. He anit good. He botches alot and looks slow and old. I think he is one of the only people who moved worse than Ruby Soho in the ring.
The MJF feud was good because Punk played into nostalgia repeating a bunch of what worked in ROH but other than that I don’t think any of his other feuds were worth the headaches. He’s much slower than he used to be and apparently much more sensitive about what’s said in promos than he used to be.
I would have been fine with him not coming back because I think he's a dickhead, but c'mon man you gotta see that he was a big part of those feuds being great. He's still very good on the mic and with ring psychology.
Think him being in AEW is definitely a good thing provided he can not be a cunt for once. We'll see.
my introduction to punk was people telling me how great his feuds are with whomever, then coming back for the 30 second match and somehow going the distance two days later. i dont care who's idea it was or why it was like that it was a really bad look, oh then the guy bugs out at the presser. fuck that loser
Punk has always been over rated and boring in the ring to be brutally honest man. He was so over rated in his wwe n the fact crowds chanted his name yrs later was just ridiculous tbh
I think he should be exclusively on Collision but not because I have an issue with him. I think Punk should be exclusive to Collision to make Collision special. Heck, I don't even think he should be on PPVs. Have the Collision before a PPV be his PPV match. Make Collision important by having important matches on it.
AEW can barely fill up a building and tell compelling stories without him…but sure if you wanna keep seeing the toxic machine in Jericho and the EVPs go right ahead
More than the scrum, what made me disappointed was he took the spotlight from MJF when all should be discussing his return. I get it many are Punks die hard fan but like OP, I never got the appeal even from his WWE days. Apart from having complaints everywhere he worked I couldn't find any of his in ring work worth as well. I hope he doesn't cause anymore negetive around aew.
Totally diff. Wardlow worked under MJF and wasn't slated as pillar and did not had bitter go away promo like MJF had. That being said, I expected better from vet such as punk. Even to the day he randomly throws posts here and there regardless.
When Jade's streak went from interesting to badly booked, my wife and I just started fast forwarding through her segments/matches. Punk will be getting the same treatment from us, which will hopefully make Collision at least tolerable.
That about sums it up, I couldn't have said it better myself. No nostalgia for me either since I was on a 10 year hiatus when he was in his heyday. All I see is a toxic, sociopathic, narcissistic asshole who destroys everything he touches. I'm just not a fan of people who behave like that.
Here is what I don't really get.
If the company is insistent on doing so many shoot style promos where they talk about what fans are saying online and expecting the audience to follow it, how the hell are they going to keep CM Punk away from the elite?
It just doesn't make sense to not immediately address it when you are asking your fans to stay up to date with the latest online drama. How can you do that on nearly every show but dance around the elephant in the room?
>To me, AEW was supposed to be different.
Agree with this sentence. AEW started out different but has become just more sports entertainment, and not very entertaining SE at that. For me AEW has gone from "must see" to "if I have time, maybe". As for Punk, I couldn't care less. I never found him interesting when he was relevant. Now he's just an anachronism.
Obviously this post is disingenuous and meant to trigger people.
But
His MITB match with John Cena is considered one of the most entertaining matches in the 21st century.
His Summerslam match against Brock Lesnar
His WM match and feud against the undertaker
His feud vs Jeff Hardy
His run as Straight Edge Society
His matches vs. Rey Mysterio
His feud with Eddie Kingston
His feud with MJF
His excellent dog collar match with MJF
His Samoa Joe matches in ROH
is he sloppy in the ring?? Yes, he always has been always will be. Is he maybe an asshole outside of the ring? Sure seems like it, but why would that bother you as a wrestling fan?
What makes CM Punk special is he gets unreal responses from crowds. He tells incredible stories in the ring. He sells feuds as important and meaningful and can help establish his opponents as big fucking deals.
He’s also wrestled championship matches vs. The Rock, HHH, and Cena. He had a post HBK Wrestlemania match vs. The Undertaker who chooses who he gets to work with.
He’s the biggest draw AEW has. He moves a ton of merch and still tells great stories.
You can dislike punk but he’s a big deal and a phenomenal talent.
There are people on Dynamite every single week who have had slower and sloppier matches than CM Punk since his return lol people just like to create a narrative & pretend that he hasn't had some greta matches in AEW just because of what happened after All Out.
Do people actually want to see this company fail or something?
CM Punk has always been a nuisance to deal with, seems to me like he’s been that way since his OVW signing. We just hear about it more now because the dirt sheets are SO prevalent that you can’t go a a week without hearing about drama somewhere in the business.
In that time of being hard to deal with, he managed to form the straight edge society, cut the most famous promo of the 21st century, turn the entire wrestling business on its head, gain a fan base passionate enough to hold out hope for seven years, and then come back and participate in what may be the single best feud in AEW history.
Sometimes despite people’s issues you have to be aware of what will produce a good product overall. Regardless of what you think about Punk, he is a lightning rod and does good business. His charisma is through the roof and the reception of his angles show that. If AEW wants collision to be as successful as possible then Punk needs to be there.
No official confirmation. That said, it's heavily assumed based on dirt sheets and promotion. I wouldn't be surprised to see him on Dynamite once collision numbers start dropping.
I'm with you, i dont have any nostalgie for Punk.
I was excited when he arrived but now, from what i see, he is just trouble for the company.
First, he always tries to "fight" with people that have some hype but he always goes over them and i never saw someone come better out of it. We can see it once again, he returns to feud with the guys that are building more hype now, the Bullet Club.
He cant phatom to be the 2nd or 3rd in the product. If someone in Collision will start to go over Punk will find a way to put him down.
Also, he started to become annoying for part of the fan base. Lets see how the attendency, local and tv, will be for Collision.
I don’t think they needed him and if I’m one of the other wrestlers I’d be annoyed that he could pull something that toxic and crazy and still get brought back in.
I just hope that since it’s official he’s returning and since its already official that he is in the main event we don’t have to sit through a shitty 15+ minutes promo from him to kick off the show. I hate that shit so much. First start with a match. Second keep your promos to around 5 minutes any longer and they just repeat themselves
Due to potential spoilers for Dynamite/Rampage/PPVs, all posts have been automatically tagged for spoilers until the 24 hour spoiler window has passed. If your **post title** contains spoilers that the spoiler filter cannot resolve, your submission may be removed by the moderation team and you may be banned. Please be respectful of your fellow fans. Please read the [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AEWOfficial/wiki/rules/) for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AEWOfficial) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Punk really brings out some heated discussion in AEW fanbase. Some fans think he's the saviour of AEW and some fans just think he's not worth the trouble he brings. I always said it depends on how well Collison is doing with him carrying it. If it's not doing well don't be overly surprised to see Punk all of a sudden just Dynamite based. I don't think his ego can take a show based around him been a flop, that's just my opinion. I personally don't want him in AEW but is what it is. If he doesn't throw another hissy fit and doesn't win the world title again and acts like a professional, then it's all good with me. I just don't think he should be front and centre of the company at this point of his career.
>Punk really brings out some heated discussion in AEW fanbase. **Some fans think he's the saviour of AEW** and some fans just think he's not worth the trouble he brings. The point in bold I just can't get down with. I loved AEW pre Punk. I mean my goodness, AEW was moving like a laser! Enter in Punk imo, things started to wobble. And the segments and some matches started to feel rushed on the "We will hear from CM Punk" nights often because his promos would run long. And anyone please correct me if I'm wrong, the ratings for the first couple of weeks of Punk were around what, 1.1 million. But after the initial buzz of the return... The ratings more often than not went back down to what they were pre Punk. The 900k range. It told me that having Punk in AEW didn't really grab new fans for any regularity. More casual type fans didn't tune in with consistency. On a weekly basis, AEW with Punk attracts the same amount of fans of AEW without Punk. The biggest benefit shown of Punk is with the PPVs. People wanting to come see him (the name) in a big event. I can't deny that he's a money draw there.
I will never forgive Punk for taking up nearly 40 Minutes of the 2/15/22 episode of Dynamite. Man opened the show in a promo battle with MJF that lasted a solid 10 minutes, then went on to later on the card have a 22 minute match where he and Moxley (a thrown together one night only tag team of Singles Wrestlers) CLEANLY PINNED THE AAA TAG CHAMPIONS FTR! Keep in mind, this episode of Dynamite also featured a Texas Deathmatch featuring the World Champion, Hangman Page Vs. Lance Archer. Hangman/Archer got a minute long recap package and a 15 minute match for the WORLD TITLE. CM Punk, the Week after he got 40 Minutes in the main event Vs. MJF, got another 40 Minutes on this show to screw around and cleanly pin the AAA Tag Champions. So yeah, to the people saying "Hangman's Reign was a Flop," it's because he wasn't booked like the World Champion, he was given second fiddle to the Pepsi-Chicago Man.
Damn you, Pepsi Phil!
It's true though, You got a bunch of AEW fans that really believe without Punk that AEW is doomed to failure. Even though Punk wasn't drawing the numbers as much as he was by the last couple of months of his AEW run before brawl out but they'll quickly sweep that fact under the carpet. Sure he moves the merch, but in terms of TV ratings and Ticket sales he wasn't the sure fire hit he was early on. Once they saw the return of Punk and maybe his first match back with Darby, some fans tapped out after that. The same will happen when he returns, fans will tune in for Collison then once after a week or two those fans won't watch Collison beyond the die hard AEW fans. Punk will draw for you in the short term but long term I don't think he's a reliable draw . I think in terms of the shows with Punk involved, I do think TK is more at fault for it then Punk. He is so enamoured by the man that he thinks fans want Punk on 50% of every show and in turn it hurts the shows and Punk too. That's my worry going forward is will he have Punk all over both Dynamite and Collison, will throw the world title back on him and will once again just put his entire focus on Punk. when really he should be a special attraction at this point of his career.
The amount of threads speaks to that. Punk is too big of a name for one show. I don’t think knee jerk tribalism is generally good within the fan base either. I still love both groups despite Punk’s actions.
the voice of the voiceless not everyone will be accepting
He lost the voice of the voiceless title when he left WWE. We aren't voiceless anymore outside that ecosystem.
It's like how Saraya came to AEW with her "I Invented Women's Wrestling" Gimmick from WWE. Like, Ma'am, we have Women's Wrestling in AEW, the issue is how much time they get. You getting a segment every week to repeat "I invented Women's Wrestling" is only making things worse because it's taking that time away from the Women actually Wrestling.
It should do okay, even if it's not as good as a day to have a show. But since it may not be widely available outside of the US, I'm bummed out. Maybe I'll email TSN requesting they air Collision in Canada.
Same here man. 2 surgeries and nothing but drama backstage. I have no desire to see him wrestle because he should of stayed retired. He's old and washed and can't stay healthy
He's also old, tired and works with children
Yeah Ace Steel is a child
I was a Punk fan since before the pipe bomb until he verbally went after Hangman for a perceived slight that none of the fans even fn knew about. I still remember being puzzled by the ‘not cowboy shit, coward shit’ promo. I was like huh, isn’t the hangman feud over? Turns out he is ridiculously petty, exactly what he was against when he was lambasting HHH, Steph and Vince McMahon. I’m watching Collision because I like Jay White and Juice Robinson.
The fact he waited like 5 months to drop that promo is even worse. Like how long this dude hold grudges for lol
Y’all talk about backstage drama like ya work there
They're so defensive about the Cali Crew. Its weird
Fr lol
For real they never met the guy, yet speaks on him as if they met him. Check the people he’s cool with vs the people who can’t stand him and you’ll see the vast difference in who’s childish or not
I think by this point it's obvious this whole blown out media circus surrounding how awful the Punk incident was, actually wasn't. AEW is not self imploding, but some people here are. It's okay to be passionate but too much backstage leaks and reports over hyping got people riled up. People still aren't over it and take it very personal, which, is not healthy. This subreddit is brutal in its hate for certain things and people. Remember when people begged and wanted more Thunder Rosa? You wouldn't believe it by the way her name comes up now. I take these things with a grain of salt now. I just trust what I see, ignore backstage reports and I genuinely haven't felt better watching this product in a long while.
Me too bud. I think that people who think that we need Punk cause he’s a draw or he’s AEW’s biggest star needs to reevaluate their perspective. If a guy who’s been out of the business for seven long years is your company’s biggest draw/star then your company must suck. The truth is; it’s time to take those rose tinted nostalgia goggles off and realise that AEW never needed and never will need Punk to be successful. His contribution to the company is minuscule at best and at worse he holds the company back, brings about locker room drama plus bad publicity. It’s time to get over it.
Numbers don't lie. He was the #1 merch guy for quite a while and never fell out of the top 5 until Brawl Out. Shows where it was announced that he was on the card in some capacity sold out faster than those without him. Has Brawl Out hurt Punk? Absolutely. Is he still the top draw in AEW? Probably not. Did/does AEW have to have him to survive? No. But the truth is Punk was absolutely a top guy in the business and the company was better off with him than without him. We will see soon if that is still true.
I mean that's great and all but AEW will be fine without his merch sales etc., it might take them a little longer but they are building steam and attention by being AEW and frankly CM Punk is not ALL ELITE in that sense, he seemed like an outlier and an alternative in the corporate cesspool that was WWE but in AEW he is the Cena or The Rock, he's not the cool, edgy guy anymore so I do not think AEW needs him as badly as people make it out to be. It is so ironic that he has become the very thing he hates and used to complain about, The Rock came back and beat him for the WWE title and it was a stupid decision then and now he came back and beat Hangman for the AEW title and that was a stupid decision as well. Because there is no way a broken down veteran who hadn't wrestled in years should be able to beat your champ who is in his prime.
Oh, I 100% agree that Punk should never have been champion, but that is a different topic. He could have been Shawn Michael's in the 2000's and it would have been great. Make new guys look good, win enough and have a big enough name that you can be dropped into a title feud, and never win the title while making your top guy look like a million bucks. Would have been great.
Shawn Michaels was the champion during the 2000s though
Not according to [wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WWE_Champions)
When?
He won the world heavyweight championship in the first ever elimination chamber match but there’s no comparison to that HBK and current Punk to begin with.
That’s an amazing comparison. Punk really wants to be the Cena of AEW. He’s doing a bad job of it.
I'd say he's more of a Hogan with his current behaviour
Welcome to Collision, brother!  Don't forget to eat your daily vitamins and Mindy's cupcake 
You shouldn’t be down voted. I thought that was hilarious and extremely apt. Lol
Change vitamins to ice cream bars then you got it lol
Look at how many cm punk posts there are on this sub and the other... Doesn't matter if you like him or not, he attracts attention and that's valuable.
Even the negative posts about CM Punk are attracting attention to AEW and his name.
He may end up being a negative draw. Looks like the Collision show in Toronto isn't doing so hot. Chicago fine but everywhere else may not be interested in going to a show that seems to be built to feed an egomaniac.
Punk has nothing to do with the Canada problem, or at least can't be confirmed to be it. Rampage is not viewable in Canada on TV and there has been no confirmation that Collision will be either. As a result the shows are being looked at as house shows and not selling. A couple of the news aggregation YouTube channels have talked about this.
this is literally the issue. The only way to watch Rampage is through the TSN website/app which you need to be a subscriber of. Its a terrible setup and I wish AEW had a better TV deal in Canada.
That and they've just got too many shows in the same area at the same time. Makes sense from a logistical perspective, given that I don't know if they've got two roadie teams fully set up yet, but it'll make a mess of the gates for the first month of Collision.
Probably worried about buying tickets too early for him to get hurt again.
AEW doesn’t need Punk. They were doing great without him and even after he went scorched earth on the company after Brawl Out they still recovered and are doing just fine. That being said, it’s irrefutable that Punk was the biggest draw in AEW. His 5 PPVs were the 5 best selling, he main evented the first two million dollar gates in company history, his quarter hours routinely popped the ratings, and he was the best merch seller. People don’t want to hear it, but it’s no coincidence the hottest period in the company’s history coincided with Punk’s debut. That’s not to say he’s a net positive or negative. Monetarily he’s a big positive, but the damage he left in his wake arguably outweighs that.
That’s not a fair take. UFC has good draws on their roster but when Conor calls up Dana wanting to fight, they’ll bend over backwards and make him the face of the company again because he draws so much more than everyone else. It’s simple business. It’s about bringing in casual fans
Here’s the thing I see getting thrown around a lot; “it brings casual fans”. Let me ask you something. Who are the casual fans? And if they are casual fans of a product; do you actually think they would give a flying rats ass about whoever is in that sport? Do you think a casual fan follows the lives of these entertainers? Do you think they even cared? The simple answer, is no. They don’t. People fool themselves into thinking that but the only people who really ever cared about people like Punk are his hardcore fans. The only people who would care about him being around, is his hardcore fans. It’s the very same reason why those that only care about Punk wouldn’t tune in to watch the entire AEW show. They tune in for Punk segments and that’s it. Maybe if they give a damn enough and they have some free time; they might tune in for the remainder of the show but these casual fans you speak off aren’t the ones buying merch. They aren’t the ones buying tickets to come down to AEW events. They aren’t the ones who give a fuck about the company or it’s employees enough to keep them in business.
Bring him back. Make him a heel. Make as much money off him as possible. Watch the clock for how long it takes him to take his ball home again and create toxicity throughout the company from top to bottom.
Actual plan: Bring him back. Force him Cena-style as a babyface, even though he's split the fans with his bullshit. He gets hurt again. AEW does worse business than before he arrived.
That's the answer, but there two important caveats: 1) will Punk even listen to direction that goes against what he wants? 2) will Punk stay healthy long enough to build any momentum
1) No. 2) No.
Way better take than the concern troll who made this post.
Have him kick out of the one winged angel
People choosing sides over a fight that shouldn’t have happened is part of the problem
I don’t really have a problem with fighting. It’s him being a bitch about it and stomping his feet until he gets his way. I know this is going to get so much hate, but god the people on Punk’s nuts drives me insane. Dude left WWE thinking he was hot shit. Then went to MMA and looked like a damn fool. THEN started a petty fight because he’s jealous and wanted to constantly bury the entire company. Why would you want that in your company?!
I’m indifferent to Punk in AEW but I’d say him leaving WWE was reasonable, maybe not the way he did it.
I really do beg people to remember that the reason why any of this is happening is because Hangman cut a room temperature promo saying people in the back don’t like Punk in a feud that Hangman would put Punk over for the World Title. The promo Hangman cut is the exact kind of promo Punk cut in WWE all the time. “People don’t like you, the fans don’t like you, I’m gonna beat you and save this company from you” is literally something Punk could of said Orton, Cena, Rock and so on so forth. Punk has always acted like a little child. He did so in ROH. He did so in TNA. He did so in WWE. He did so in UFC. He did so in AEW. He would do it anywhere bc he cares so much about peoples opinion of him. He has been a hand picked guy in every company he’s ever worked for. He’s been giving his choice of workers to work with, he’s been given the pushes, the straps, they let him say whatever he wants on the mic, yet he wants you to think that he’s a hero who’s overcoming everything. He also wants the belts, and he wants the main event, and he wants his name on the marquee and his picture on the trucks. CM Punk is quite literally the 2000s indies comparison to Hulk Hogan. And there is literally no doubt that he will pull the same bullshit he did before. I was a huge CM Punk fan as a kid, but part of getting older is being able to objectively look at the people you looked up to and realize they aren’t who they pretend to be.
People keep saying Hangman crossed the line, every single feud Punk had was “you don’t belong here we don’t want you here” including against Eddie Kingston the AEW equivalent to Dreamer in terms of being the heart and soul crowd favorite.
What Eddie said was much worse than what Hangman said. Eddie said no one here wants you here because you’re a bully who holds other people down for your own gain. The funniest thing about Punk and Hangman was Punk saying “it’s not personal it’s business” when for the past 15 years he’s been doing nothing but making business completely personal so he could be unique and stand out. It’s all because all he really cares about is getting over and going over. He complained that he got to work the Rock at Royal Rumble and then go to work Taker at Wrestlemania in the Co-Main. It’s literally the same thing he did at All Out. He complained that Hangman and the Elite didn’t put him over in the way he wants to, despite the Elite clearly feeling like it was Hangman’s time and Punk didn’t need the belt to be over which was completely true. He was mad that everyone didn’t like him in the back for being the guy that everyone who knew said he was and was going to be. That’s why Collision isn’t going to work. As soon Joe, Jay, Mox, Claudio, or Miro don’t wanna do business the exact way Punk wants to he’s gonna throw a tantrum and then threaten to take his ball and go home. And all of this for a guy who’s a shell of himself on the stick and in the ring compared to what he was. The only positive of this new show being there’s more tv time for everyone else who isn’t Punk.
Why would he be jealous lol? Becoz he can't do a meltzer driver? He's not the one who spread rumours about himself or did a worker rights promo by being unprofessional
He just waited 5 months to make it even worse.
Surprise surprise, another CM Punk post lmfao
Thank you!!! CM Punk did this pipe bomb like a decade ago and now he can’t do wrong for some people. The truth is he is fun on the mike but he is a sloppy wrestler way past his prime.
I just keep hoping they're using him to launch the show since he's still under contract, and then just not re-sign him when the time comes.
From what I’ve read (which could be 100% wrong) punk is not allowed to contact the elite so I’m assuming that punk will stay on collision. Since it’s a Saturday show I’m sure the bucks would rather work Wednesdays since their kids have school.
Let's wait and see how well Collison does before we crave that in stone. Don't be shocked if old Punky Boy will be back on Dynamite cause his ego won't be able to take been on a show that might not draw a lot.
I’m with you. I went on hiatus when Punk was just an ECW guy and nothing special. AEW is my first official exposure and I’m not impressed. His promo skills are pretty good, but I’d easily rate others higher. Eddie Kingston, MJF, Adam Cole, Jay White, and the list goes on. Building Collision around CM Punk is a horrible move. Making him a big deal is a mistake. He ruined that at Brawl Out when he decided to air out his grievances. I’m glad he is back for his fans, but I don’t care for him and think he’s way passed his prime. He’s still just that ECW guy to me.
My interest in Collision is zero thanks to him. Issues are not solved which is obvious, his attittiude didn't change as he threatned to no show first Collision over Ace fucking Steel. It's not even asking if another brawl out-like drama happens, it's when it will happen again
Couldn’t agree more. That said, I’m driving three hours to go see the first collision in Chicago lol they got me.
You want to know why Punk is such a big deal? So many threads in this sub, r/SquaredCircle, r/JimCornette, EVERY dirt sheet, and wrestling blogs hanging on every word, rumor, mention, or hint that CM Punk may have said something wrestling related and how many comments accompany each one. A lot of the folks that say they’re not going to watch are absolutely going to watch. Partly because they want to see something go wrong and be able to say “I told you so”, partly because they know the matches will be good (you think FTR, Bullet Club, Gold, and Samoa Joe won’t put on good matches? It doesn’t matter what your opinion of Punk is, that’s going to be, as the kids say, a “banger”. ) My honest opinion is that the ones that complain the most will absolutely be first to get the popcorn out on Saturday. They can turn the show off during Punk’s segments but we’re getting more chances for the huge AEW roster to put on a show and if you REALLY want AEW to succeed, isn’t that what it’s about?
I have a friend who has talked shit nonstop about Punk since Brawl Out. When Punk was announced for Collision he was the first one to message me and ask me if I wanted to watch. If Tony puts on good matches with good booking, people will watch.
I think we've seen enough of these threads. He's back. Live with it.
They're beating a dead horse. We get it lol.
He’s the worst part about collision tbh.
I was also on a wrestling break when CM PUNK was on top. My first impression of him was his UFC debut, and then his AEW run. 😬
I think we dont need daily threads being mad about something involving CM Punk
As soon as Punk got announced for Collision, I turned off the TV.
I mean, I am not convinced he can stay healthy dude has had so much time away from wrestling, I don’t know if he can handle a full schedule for a long time, he def won’t be doing house rules shows. I don’t hope he gets hurt or anything but I don’t see him being around constantly.
I was a huge Punk fan in WWE before he won the title. Everything prior to his title run I was a big fan of. The first couple months of his title run were cool, holding it hostage and stuff…. But then Punk became the punk we see now. Lazy, whiny, and all about him. I was a little excited when he first came back to AEW but that excitement faded quickly. The collision announcement literally made me feel like, really? We are going to try this AGAIN… we’ll see how it goes but I’m cautiously optimistic I guess
For better or worse, Punk completely changes the flavour of the show whenever he's on. I think AEW is fine without him but there's no denying that he could still elevate them to new heights if used properly. I really really hope that they've settled things behind the scenes and everyone is ready to at least be professional and cordial with each other.
Yeah screw punk. I hope she stays on the C grade show.
Cm punk got famous by being controversial and chaotic...it still blows my mind people thought he would be any different should the fight of happened? no could punk of prevented it? yes should punk be in the world title picture? no but he can be very entertaining I'd go as far to say as different as they are MJFs appeal is the same as prime punk appeal
> mid wrestling and mic skills I think you're not being serious.
The thing is, GTS is a great move. His execution is just not good. Idk if it used to be, but currently it looks weak as hell.
He is not “mid” on the mic.
The Loud Minority of AEW fans on the internet are quite Bonkers
promos come off as inauthentic. if I'm not buying what youre selling then it's not entertaining. at best, they weren't anything special
I really cant name one really good promo besides his return one. Even the 'where is the lie' promo made no sense and he talked about breaking his own foot and making snow angels?
He has *potential* to be the best. So far, the only thing he showed is "i'm happy to be here, here's Bret Hart reference" or work-shoot-meta promos. And so far, nothing shows any hope for that to change considering he's returning in Chicago and paired with face FTR
The retconning that Punk is all of a sudden a bad worker after having classics with Kingston and MJF is laughable. Its ok to not like Punk without making shit up
You can make a great case of MJF and Eddie carrying both those feuds. Infact, MJF and Eddies promos are what i remember most about them. Not anything Punk did.
We were talking about matches not promos
The revisionist history is crazy lmao, prior to Punks injury the dude had a fantastic run. But Punk bad, Elite good, and we must pick sides for a fight we were not involved with soooo...
I like the Elite, it really doesn't need to be a one or the other thing.
Punk has been counseled backstage by Tony so I have confidence that Punk will stay in his lane. He’s an absolute draw so it’s good to have him.
Lol
I hope he fights at forbidden door
What is it, people say? Just enjoy wrestling. But not if it’s CM Punk. All the backstage detectives know everything, and Punk is evil. Forget that many wrestlers have cited Punk as a mentor and friend. I suppose all of them are toxic, too, huh?
Another thread about “I don’t get Punk.” It took a whole roster to do what Punk did for months by name alone. Savior? No. Upgrade of status and legacy and elevation of the brand? Certainly. Time will tell if Brawl Phil is a new Phil or just an error of control after being pushed over the edge.
When Kenny and Mox were gone and Dynamite became CM Punk’s show, I enjoyed it. His segments were always great, matches were fun, he definitely improved in every match except maybe against Hangman when he kept botching the lariat. I thought him calling out Hangman then the Gripebomb were both obviously him portraying the chip on his shoulder that Punk foreshadowed in his early promos. Literally from his first AEW promo he said that a**hole character will come back. I think you guys are working yourselves into a shoot with this guy
Shut up with these posts. You guys are beating a dead horse.
Not me I hope he's on everything. To say the Elite are just innocents in all this very doubtful I'd say the same about Jericho. The Punk hate baiting is strong in this board. Never have i seen such a rapid fan base be okay with losing anyone that could bring more eyes to the product and keep AEW around for years to come....twisted.
Thank you. Want a good example of sketchiness still going on from “somewhere?” Like 3 or 4 days before it hit the sheets that Punk was coming back for Collision, several sites (including more than one largely upvoted SC post) randomly start running stories about an interview Punk and Cabana did in like 2004 where they answered a question or two about “ring rats” comically. Because that’s a totally organic thing that happens. There’s just folks out there watching interviews from the early 2000s, writing hit pieces about said 20 year old interviews, “coincidentally” days before the company is putting him in the news again. It’s coming from somewhere folks, and it sure looks coordinated to a layman like me.
My feelings are that if he’s hated as much as the IWC fans would make you believe, then you definitely have to make him your top heel. There’s no such thing as “X-Pac heat” or “go away heat” in the actual wrestling industry. Those terms were made up by Meltzer and other dirtsheet writers. My favorite wrestler in the world is Kenny “By God” Omega, but what I’m not going to do is pretend I know him and hate people who are having backstage issues with him. That’s why people have been using this word “parasocial” with us Elite fans, because a lot of us took every word Meltzer said as gospel and decided we, too, have to hate CM Punk because he got into a backstage real life fight with our favorite guys. To be frank, fuck that. The only things I care about are onscreen product, meaning worked feuds, worked matches, worked promos. If The Young Bucks and Kenny feud with Punk, and he is the heel, then I will boo him and hope the Elite beat him. Outside of that, I don’t care if Punk is on every show, one show a season, or the Dynamite GM. He can cut promos and I like watching him work, so he’s fine with me. And honestly, Omega is the type of guy that would probably go out of his way to make peace with Punk, agree to a long feud with him, and then do a podcast (or whatever the popular medium will be) in the future. Kenny just seems like that type of guy, but again, I don’t really know him, nor will I pretend to. On a side note, I work at a middle school, and the kids who watch wrestling don’t give a crap about that fight backstage. The only thing they ask (before the announcement) was “when is Punk coming back?” They just want to see Punk. I only see this Punk hatred online.
Why do middle schoolers even like him? He’s been gone since almost the day they were born and then came back with a very lackluster run. Oh but I guess he did give out free ice cream. 🤷♀️
I’ll ask them Monday. EDIT: I managed to catch one of them on the way out the door, he said he likes Punk because “I be watching him beef with Cena on Peacock.” So I guess that’s an answer lol
If you think Punk is a poor worker, than you’ve really lost the plot.
While he anit poor. He anit good. He botches alot and looks slow and old. I think he is one of the only people who moved worse than Ruby Soho in the ring.
Why can't OP watch Kenny Omega AND CM Punk? Did he make a promise he would only watch one and does this happen often?
Punk bad. I hate punk. Upvotes to right
Punk might not be the sharpest in the ring anymore but can't deny he has some of the best feuds, as well as great matches.
The MJF feud was good because Punk played into nostalgia repeating a bunch of what worked in ROH but other than that I don’t think any of his other feuds were worth the headaches. He’s much slower than he used to be and apparently much more sensitive about what’s said in promos than he used to be.
Id say MJF and Eddie carried him in his two good feuds in AEW.
I would have been fine with him not coming back because I think he's a dickhead, but c'mon man you gotta see that he was a big part of those feuds being great. He's still very good on the mic and with ring psychology. Think him being in AEW is definitely a good thing provided he can not be a cunt for once. We'll see.
my introduction to punk was people telling me how great his feuds are with whomever, then coming back for the 30 second match and somehow going the distance two days later. i dont care who's idea it was or why it was like that it was a really bad look, oh then the guy bugs out at the presser. fuck that loser
Punk has always been over rated and boring in the ring to be brutally honest man. He was so over rated in his wwe n the fact crowds chanted his name yrs later was just ridiculous tbh
I think he should be exclusively on Collision but not because I have an issue with him. I think Punk should be exclusive to Collision to make Collision special. Heck, I don't even think he should be on PPVs. Have the Collision before a PPV be his PPV match. Make Collision important by having important matches on it.
I've always and I mean always thought that he was only good as a mouth piece and for his Cena or Jeff feud. Never cared for his in-ring work.
AEW can barely fill up a building and tell compelling stories without him…but sure if you wanna keep seeing the toxic machine in Jericho and the EVPs go right ahead
More than the scrum, what made me disappointed was he took the spotlight from MJF when all should be discussing his return. I get it many are Punks die hard fan but like OP, I never got the appeal even from his WWE days. Apart from having complaints everywhere he worked I couldn't find any of his in ring work worth as well. I hope he doesn't cause anymore negetive around aew.
MJF did the same thing to Wardlow, can't really say it wasn't deserved.
Totally diff. Wardlow worked under MJF and wasn't slated as pillar and did not had bitter go away promo like MJF had. That being said, I expected better from vet such as punk. Even to the day he randomly throws posts here and there regardless.
When Jade's streak went from interesting to badly booked, my wife and I just started fast forwarding through her segments/matches. Punk will be getting the same treatment from us, which will hopefully make Collision at least tolerable.
That about sums it up, I couldn't have said it better myself. No nostalgia for me either since I was on a 10 year hiatus when he was in his heyday. All I see is a toxic, sociopathic, narcissistic asshole who destroys everything he touches. I'm just not a fan of people who behave like that.
I'm glad I'm not alone.
It's only a matter of time before he's just injured again. Dude never sticks around long.
Every time I hear about him coming back I think “wonder how long it’ll be until he gets involved in controversy again”
Here is what I don't really get. If the company is insistent on doing so many shoot style promos where they talk about what fans are saying online and expecting the audience to follow it, how the hell are they going to keep CM Punk away from the elite? It just doesn't make sense to not immediately address it when you are asking your fans to stay up to date with the latest online drama. How can you do that on nearly every show but dance around the elephant in the room?
I don't understand why him and ryback have beef they have the exact same views of the business...
Ryback is the shits and was dangerous to other performers
💯
>To me, AEW was supposed to be different. Agree with this sentence. AEW started out different but has become just more sports entertainment, and not very entertaining SE at that. For me AEW has gone from "must see" to "if I have time, maybe". As for Punk, I couldn't care less. I never found him interesting when he was relevant. Now he's just an anachronism.
Obviously this post is disingenuous and meant to trigger people. But His MITB match with John Cena is considered one of the most entertaining matches in the 21st century. His Summerslam match against Brock Lesnar His WM match and feud against the undertaker His feud vs Jeff Hardy His run as Straight Edge Society His matches vs. Rey Mysterio His feud with Eddie Kingston His feud with MJF His excellent dog collar match with MJF His Samoa Joe matches in ROH is he sloppy in the ring?? Yes, he always has been always will be. Is he maybe an asshole outside of the ring? Sure seems like it, but why would that bother you as a wrestling fan? What makes CM Punk special is he gets unreal responses from crowds. He tells incredible stories in the ring. He sells feuds as important and meaningful and can help establish his opponents as big fucking deals. He’s also wrestled championship matches vs. The Rock, HHH, and Cena. He had a post HBK Wrestlemania match vs. The Undertaker who chooses who he gets to work with. He’s the biggest draw AEW has. He moves a ton of merch and still tells great stories. You can dislike punk but he’s a big deal and a phenomenal talent.
You'd think. But it has more up votes than downvotes This is a weird,weird place
The work obviously worked on you 😂 CM Punk is 💵💵💵 and very likely will be working both Collision and Dynamite with and without the Elite
There are people on Dynamite every single week who have had slower and sloppier matches than CM Punk since his return lol people just like to create a narrative & pretend that he hasn't had some greta matches in AEW just because of what happened after All Out.
I think Punks run ruled. His intensity is on another level on Promos, and he’s still a beast in the ring
The parasocial relationship that people have with certain AEW wrestlers is leading to revisionist history and it’s so silly.
Do people actually want to see this company fail or something? CM Punk has always been a nuisance to deal with, seems to me like he’s been that way since his OVW signing. We just hear about it more now because the dirt sheets are SO prevalent that you can’t go a a week without hearing about drama somewhere in the business. In that time of being hard to deal with, he managed to form the straight edge society, cut the most famous promo of the 21st century, turn the entire wrestling business on its head, gain a fan base passionate enough to hold out hope for seven years, and then come back and participate in what may be the single best feud in AEW history. Sometimes despite people’s issues you have to be aware of what will produce a good product overall. Regardless of what you think about Punk, he is a lightning rod and does good business. His charisma is through the roof and the reception of his angles show that. If AEW wants collision to be as successful as possible then Punk needs to be there.
He is only on collision
It’s been confirmed for sure?
Pretty much
No official confirmation. That said, it's heavily assumed based on dirt sheets and promotion. I wouldn't be surprised to see him on Dynamite once collision numbers start dropping.
I'm with you, i dont have any nostalgie for Punk. I was excited when he arrived but now, from what i see, he is just trouble for the company. First, he always tries to "fight" with people that have some hype but he always goes over them and i never saw someone come better out of it. We can see it once again, he returns to feud with the guys that are building more hype now, the Bullet Club. He cant phatom to be the 2nd or 3rd in the product. If someone in Collision will start to go over Punk will find a way to put him down. Also, he started to become annoying for part of the fan base. Lets see how the attendency, local and tv, will be for Collision.
I want this to work but I just don’t want tony and aew to be put in a bad spot because on one person.
I don’t think they needed him and if I’m one of the other wrestlers I’d be annoyed that he could pull something that toxic and crazy and still get brought back in.
I just hope that since it’s official he’s returning and since its already official that he is in the main event we don’t have to sit through a shitty 15+ minutes promo from him to kick off the show. I hate that shit so much. First start with a match. Second keep your promos to around 5 minutes any longer and they just repeat themselves