10 Things AEW Wants You To Forget About 2023

2. CM Punk

AEW decline CM Punk
AEW

It's hard to forget that CM Punk existed.

His run was exceptional, and he's CM Punk: the epicentre of everything. His dramatic exits, plural, left an unshakeable cloud over everything. AEW was the company that could leave your mouth agape when a match graphic flashed on the screen. Through the embrace of all styles and the opening of more than one Forbidden Door, impossible was nothing. The match wasn't exactly good, but it was still magic, in principle, that AEW ran back Chris Jericho Vs. Juventud Guerrera in 2021.

Punk's exit has ruined that feeling because CMFTR Vs. The Elite is the one that got away. It's hard to forget about Punk whenever the Bucks do anything that isn't working a match with him. They are inextricably linked forever.

Collision is two good if ultimately unnecessary hours now, and it's hard to watch the suspiciously long main events knowing that the show was a CM Punk vehicle. Now, it's just a mostly fine reminder that AEW does not have four hours' worth of ideas a week.

Forget those incredible stooging masterclasses opposite Satoshi Kojima and Samoa Joe, because you only got a taste of the CM Punk heel run you'll never forget.

AEW has attempted to erase CM Punk from its history - but the mark he left inside of the ring and out is indelible.

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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!