10 Wrestlers AEW Failed In 2022

1. CM Punk

AEW Failed CM Punk
AEW

This one is likely to split opinion and is very much a different entry to the rest of this list, but CM Punk was failed by AEW in 2022.

While the other entries featured here are included due to how poorly they've been used across this past year, there's no doubting that the Second City Saint was utilised fantastically during his far-too-short spell being #AllElite. There was an unfortunate spell on the sidelines for Punk in 2022, but the Chicago native had the Feud of the Year with MJF, had great rivalries with 'Hangman' Adam Page and Jon Moxley, and elsewhere put on bangers with the likes of Dax Harwood, Penta Oscuro, Dustin Rhodes, and one of the most enjoyable tag bouts of the year when he teamed with Mox to battle Harwood and Cash Wheeler.

Where CM Punk was failed by AEW, then, was in how backstage issues were not addressed sooner.

Would we have got the infamous Brawl All if Tony Khan had stepped in when Hangman Page took an unplanned, unprofessional shot at Punk during a promo battle? Would things had come to an unfortunate head at All Out if certain EVPs weren't telling Dave Meltzer that Punk was the reason for Colt Cabana's absence... despite Khan stating several times how that was not the case? And would AEW be without the biggest draw in the company's short tenure if those same EVPs didn't angrily, unprofessionally confront the Straight-Edge Superstar after Punk's likewise unprofessional comments during the post-All Out presser?

CM Punk was clearly out of line with those press scrum comments, but the behaviour of Tony Khan and the promotion's EVPs could've put a stop to this fiery situation before it came to the point we're now sadly at.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.