10 Wrestlers Who Could Give CM Punk His First AEW Loss
3. Jon Moxley
Returning to the idea of heel Punk, even if he were to turn, he’s at a level that he’s unlikely to be able to get a whole crowd against him. One way to manipulate this, though, would be to match him with the man destined to become wrestling’s biggest babyface in 2022, the returning Jon Moxley.
Mox was a megastar anyway, but in taking time out to address personal issues at the tail end of 2021, he demonstrated a bravery and openness we seldom used to see from wrestlers. When he returns, it’ll be to a hero’s welcome - and he’ll need something big to sink his teeth into.
As a member of The Shield, Moxley (then Dean Ambrose) had encounters with Punk, but even more than Danielson or Rhodes he’s a completely different guy now. The two wrestlers have a similar feel of extensions of the real person, and the verbal sparring alone would be worth the price of admission (you could, if you so wished, invoke Straight Edge Punk given Mox’s recent travails).
Had he not stepped away, Mox would have been around the title picture towards the end of last year. Taking out CM Punk, though, would be worth more than any strap.