The Problem With CM Punk That No One Wants To Talk About
CM Punk signing and debuting for AEW is impossibly huge. It will inevitably overshadow everything else going on in wrestling on the night and beyond. No matter how over AEW's other wrestlers, storylines, and feuds may be, there's no way any of them can realistically compete with this level of buzz.
If Cult of Personality hits in Chicago on 5 September, people won't be talking about the culmination of Hangman Page's character arc coming out of All Out. Two years will have been for nought. Page will be an afterthought - a secondary news story buried beneath the real headline-maker.
What we know of Punk and his wrestling philosophy suggests he'd be aghast at such a thought. Inadvertently becoming the thing he once raged against would at least partly undermine the reason he is so beloved in the first place. Thus, he and AEW must work together to mitigate this.
How do you stop a Punk debut from obscuring a Hangman Page World Title win? It's a tough question, the kind that separates the good bookers from the bad.
The 1 September Dynamite, also set for Chicago, is a fine choice to debut Punk that would also boost pay-per-view buys. Rampage on 3 September is less compelling until we know what the Friday night show's viewership looks like. The Dynamite after All Out is another option but why would you forgo the easy layup of a hometown pop?
And once you've chosen the show, what does Punk do in that spot? Cut a promo? Work his first match? Pull a Christian Cage and ceremonially sign a contract without saying a word?
Make no mistake, AEW must sign CM Punk. The promotion may never see an opportunity like this again.
But they need to be extremely careful with how he is introduced.
CONT'd...