Ranking What Was Really The Best Wrestling Debut Every Year 1990-2021

by Michael Sidgwick

1. 2021 - CM Punk

CM Punk, AEW
AEW / Scott Lesh

For a full month, AEW had fans on strings the second Sean Ross Sapp dropped the scoop that CM Punk had held talks over a return to pro wrestling.

It was so much fun: the anticipation, the fantasy booking, the teases that acted as conformation you still couldn't quite allow yourself to believe. This ingenious viral marketing campaign secured a monster of a gate and a monster of a rating all while preserving the power of the pop. It was far better than a surprise. AEW made it feel like we had all willed it into existence, and the extent to which AEW went so hard made Punk feel enormous in stature. He really was Michael Jordan on the night.

That pop was guttural, emotionally intense, deafening, sustained, special. His promo expertly balanced self-reflection, driven self-belief, and his AEW mission statement: to work with talent so promising that he couldn't leave behind a real legacy without testing himself against them.

This was one of the most special moments in pro wrestling history, and certainly the loudest.

Watch Next


WWE Royal Rumble 2026: 5 Shocks WWE Could Pull

5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (30 Jan - Results & Review) New

WWE Royal Rumble 2026: Predicting Literally EVERYTHING!

In this post: 
CM Punk
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!