6 Things AEW Got Right About CM Punk's Debut

2. Put Over New Talent

CM Punk AEW
AEW

Let’s face facts: CM Punk was a main event-level superstar when he left WWE seven years ago. His stature has only grown since then.

So when he showed up on Rampage and name-dropped Britt Baker seconds into his AEW debut, you got the feeling that he was here to do more than just assume a position at the top of the card and feud with other top guys. Punk talked about all the young talent in the back who had the same passion he had when he was in Ring of Honor, then directly called out Darby Allin and challenged him to a match at All Out.

Punk could have referenced guys like Chris Jericho (and rekindled their 2012 feud), or gone after AEW Champion Kenny Omega, or targeted former WWE superstars and top guys Cody Rhodes, Christian and Jon Moxley. (Yes, we know all of them are otherwise involved, but the point remains.)

The bottom line is that Punk’s initial appearance wasn’t to declare his pursuit of the world title, but to wrestle a young and up-and-coming talent. That says a ton right off the bat, and it could bode really well for fans thirsting to see fun and fresh matchups.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.