Ranking Every Major CM Punk AEW Match - From Worst To Best
11. Vs Ricky Starks (Collision July 15, 2023)
From the beginning of the aforementioned Owen Hart Cup, to the end of it, CM Punk met fellow babyface Ricky Starks in the finals of this year's tournament on July 15th's Collision.
Trying to prove exactly why he could be the person to fill Punker's boots, 'Absolute' showed bucketloads of resilience and was once again made to feel like one of the hottest babyfaces on the planet thanks to the 'Chick Magnet's ability to subtly shift towards the dark side when needed.
And the Calgary crowd were entirely into this main event fight for the Owen Hart crown, even on a night that had already boasted a near-one hour tag classic, which is a testament to the ability of and compelling story told by the gifted finalists.
Starks' realisation of maybe just not quite having enough to take down the dialled in Punk here led to a genuinely shocking and intriguing conclusion, with that rope-assisted roll-up victory brilliantly nudging the effortlessly charismatic performer back down a villainous road as the two would eventually clashed over "Real" World Championship gold, too.