AEW All Out 2021: 10 Things That Must Happen
4. CM Punk Scores A Comeback Win
Man, yours truly has gone back and forth on this so many times in preparation for this piece. Should Darby Allin shock the world by beating CM Punk on Sunday? Wouldn't that be the best use of a major star - putting a future one over? In a word, no, and here's why.
Darby isn't going to be the babyface at All Out. The event is in Punk's backyard, and the Chicago masses have been waiting to see this since 2014. Should Punk lose, then Illinois will be out for Allin's blood. Hell, even a beloved icon like Sting would be booed relentlessly if his vow to stay away on Dynamite turned out to be guff.
Punk's fanbase need to see this win. AEW should book it, let everyone get that moment out of their systems and then focus on the long-term goal of using CM as a star-enhancer over the next few years. Besides, it's not like Darby needs to get outright squished flat here.
He can get his licks in.