How AEW Made Me Love Wrestling Again

8. No Mainstream Wrestling "Event" Landed Like Punk's Return

The Rock returning to the ring? Undertaker losing at WrestleMania? Edge's return?

The world of wrestling occasionally permeates pop culture, but hands-down nothing was quite like the eruption of "Oh my god REALLY?!" reactions to CM Punk stepping back into the ring after seven years away from the sport.

Sure, insiders knew it was coming and Punk had dabbled in UFC with spirited results, but his return to AEW - especially once footage started doing the rounds online - saw millions of fans, new and old, losing their damn minds. A perfect nexus of pop culture sporting event, celebrity status and medium-specific booking resulted in a trifecta of pure, must-see human interaction.

Everything that happened in this glorious half hour helped present AEW to the world, Lion King-style, as the next messianic wrestling entity worth your time.