9 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (31 Aug)

1. This Is Chicago

Look, this was a two-month storyline crammed into a single week. Consider that a supplemental Down. CM Punk's journey from the Jon Moxley defeat to getting himself physically and mentally ready to face the Wrestler of the Year again would have hit harder had it been given those additional steps, ideally with Punk disappearing for the first few weeks to ponder his future.

But good grief. If you weren't hooked by what happened when Punk poured his soul out in the ring and Ace Steel slapped it back into him, you might want to check yours hasn't already left your body.

Punk was despondent. Mopy and upset, he spoke of letting Chicago, his fans, and himself down, breaking up several times in what initially sounded like a retirement promo. Steel, who grabbed the contract from Jon Moxley earlier, set him straight. A great, fired-up rant from Punk's lifelong friend got the blood flowing. Steel literally smacked the life back into Punk, dropping a hard eff-you-see-kay on national television in one of the year's best promos, which served as a pitch for the now-former World Champion to hit the home run from his Chicago faithful.

Punk signed the match contract up in the bleachers, surrounded by his people. From lemons, he, Moxley, and Steel made delicious lemons last night.

And Steel was an inspired choice. His appearance was a nice easter egg for anyone who was there for the Second City Saints in ROH, but that it was contextualised by Ace himself and the announcers would've helped those who weren't around in 2002, too.