10 Best Promos In AEW History
3. CM Punk/Eddie Kingston Showdown
At Full Gear 2022, Eddie Kingston and CM Punk had a match almost as heated as the Adam Page/Kenny Omega main event. That main event was the culmination of a years' long saga. Punk and Kingston built their match across a fortnight.
The pair’s fiery in-ring exchange the Rampage ahead of the PPV saw Punk demanding an apology while Kingston alternately ripped the p*ss and told Punk the boys in the back didn’t want him here. Given Punk’s universally beloved status at the time, this wasn’t heel Vs babyface stuff. It was a very mortal man showing irreverence to a god.
Punk for his part delivered some home truths whilst employing his natural talent for smug condescension. While many promo battles see wrestlers square off in the centre of the ring, here they stood in opposite corners, as if out of sheer loathing, they couldn’t bring themselves to get any closer to one another. But as tempers flared they got closer and closer until they had to be pulled apart.
Together, by accident or design, they contrived for fans to split their support 50/50 at Full Gear. Not such a big ask in current climate, but at the time, Kingston getting cheered against the prodigal son Punk was a massive achievement.