10 Biggest Heat Magnets In Wrestling Right Now

1. CM Punk

CM Punk
AEW

The most fascinating man in wrestling, one of the best, and one of the worst.

His hypocrisy is as abundant as his talent, and as he displayed on Sunday night, his talent is immense. He is a phenomenal professional wrestler. An all-rounder barely covers it; he happens to be amazing at everything (except elbow drops, naturally).

This makes him all the more inflammatory to his peers: he has the privilege to play by his own rules because he's talented enough to do it. He's an acerbic, disruptive prick. And a genius. The emotions channeled towards him are a double-barrelled blast of hatred and jealousy. The combination is as toxic as he is. It's little wonder AEW is on fire.

Nobody knows the specifics of the inciting incident. What is clear that a vital piece of his story with Colt Cabana is missing; Punk seemed to suggest in the incendiary post-All out presser that Cabana is the real villain, and has literal receipts, but there are holes everywhere. What exactly caused Punk to lose it and renege on his promise? Also: Punk said he hadn't wanted anything to do with Colt for "at least a decade", but referred to him as a friend in 2018. That's a bit more than getting 2013 and 2014 mixed up, no?

In any event, Hangman Page has clearly taken Cabana's side and alluded to what he perceives as rank hypocrisy on Punk's part on national television. This naturally infuriated Punk, and when it was revealed that he went into business for himself, which he did, he went off then, too. He blamed the "EVPs" for playing shadowy games with the media, and also played the hypocrite. He didn't ruin the All Out gate, but the show might as well not have happened five minutes into walking into that presser.

Is this convoluted high-stakes game of Am I The As*hole? rigged against Punk because he's a better heel promo? Is he the as*hole?

So many people seem to think he is. Omega. Hangman. Cabana. The Bucks. Bobby Fish. Kevin Owens seemed to very subtly throw a dig at him on Twitter, by posting a picture of his WrestleMania main event against Steve Austin.

If you don't think that was a dig, Cabana did; he liked it.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!