CM Punk’s Rumoured AEW Debut Gets Mentioned During NFL Game

"That was the most anticipated debut in Chicago until Friday..."

Aug 15, 2021 August 15th, 2021

Such a hot topic of conversation is CM Punk's purported AEW arrival, the Second City Saint's rumoured AEW debut has even been referenced during an NFL game.

During Saturday's pre-season game between the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins, NFL Network's Adam Rank namedropped Punk when discussing rookie Justin Fields' NFL debut.

As Rank put it:

"I think that was the most anticipated debut in Chicago until Friday when, presumably, CM Punk shows up on AEW."

Of course, this Friday is the second episode of AEW Rampage, with that show emanating from Chicago's United Center.

All signs point to CM Punk making his wrestling return on this next Rampage, and anticipation and excitement is high amongst wrestling fans keen to see the Straight-Edge Superstar back in the game.

Punk famously walked out on WWE in 2014 and announced his retirement from pro wrestling. Since then, the five-time WWE Champion has tried his hand in the UFC, starred in a few impressive movies (Rabid, Girl on the Third Floor, Jakob's Wife), served as a commentator for Cage Fury Fighting Championships, and will soon be seen in Stephen Amell's wrestling-driven TV show Heels.

The Chicago native also appeared on WWE Backstage, although that deal was through FOX and had no direct involvement with WWE.

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Andrew Pollard

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 and Presenter, 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 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 and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.

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