The Self-Destruction Of CM Punk In AEW | Wrestling Timelines

June 1, 2022 - The Wheels Come Off

On the Dynamite after Double Or Nothing, CM Punk is booked for a simple trios match against opposition he is likely to beat. CM Punk & FTR Vs. Max Caster and the Gunn Club does not exist for its drama, or even quality. It happens as an excuse to celebrate your new World champion and set up his legendary opponent for the inaugural AEW x NJPW Forbidden door pay-per-view: Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Punk is eager to celebrate, too, jumping into the crowd by the aisle with a stage dive during his entrance. In the process, he breaks his foot - necessitating surgery and a near-three month layoff. He remains World champion; an interim title is created and won by Jon Moxley.

This is a terrible look. Punk’s whole deal, which some fans find laughable, is professionalism. Diving into the crowd is a senseless risk for a man who will later bemoan the use of real glass. He doesn’t fall on a fellow professional trained to catch him safely. If Punk is embarrassed by this injury, this, combined with the ongoing backstage turmoil and health anxieties, is evident when he returns in a foul mood.

The resulting match, understandably, is poor. CM Punk can barely move around the ring without making a mistake. On the subsequent edition of Rampage, Punk explains that he needs to go away for a while.

In what is becoming a theme, the situation is handled poorly. Hangman Page does not vie for the title; hugely popular babyface prospect Wardlow explicitly states that he doesn’t like the idea of an interim belt. Moxley winning what is framed as a consolation prize threatens to depict him as AEW’s version of a “B+ player”, to use old WWE parlance. This decision also has significant ramifications; Mox wants to assert his spot.

AEW felt invincible in 2021. In 2022, it feels like the wheels are coming off.