CM Punk Challenges MJF To Dog Collar Match At AEW Revolution
Weeks of Piper references pay off as Punk reaches deep into vault for stipulation.
One of the beautiful things about AEW is that they reward fans who pay attention and know their history, but not in a way that betrays younger or newer fans.
An absolutely perfect example of this bore out Wednesday night when CM Punk opened AEW Dynamite to discuss MJF and their upcoming rematch and the stipulation, which he got to choose. In a masterful promo, Punk traced his wrestling career and inspiring younger wrestlers, before getting to Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
Punk noted that MJF has repeatedly said he's bigger than "Piper in Portland... (and) "Bret (Hart) in Canada." And that is something Maxwell said numerous times in promos leading up to their match in Chicago, which is Punk's hometown. The casual message was clear: MJF is better than all these greats in their home territory, so he was going to beat Punk in his hometown.
But the subtext is that MJF - like Punk - deeply respects and admires "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. And Punk used that in his promo Wednesday as he talked about going back into his history of matches, looking for a stipulation for his rematch with MJF. And he kept striking on that phrase: "Piper in Portland."
That's when Punk noted that MJF has run away from him multiple times, so there was only one way to keep him tethered to him. He opened the box in front of him and held aloft a dog collar and chain and asked Maxwell to be his valentine. Piper famously had a vicious dog collar match at NWA Starrcade 1983 against rival Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.
And so, we're getting a dog collar match at AEW Revolution next month. What better way to use MJF's words against him, to counter his cowardly ways, to settle a heated rivalry, and to tie it all together with a bit of history?
As for MJF, he came out to rebut, but he was so flabbergasted that he left without saying a word. That has to be a first.