The Self-Destruction Of CM Punk In AEW | Wrestling Timelines
July 29, 2023 - Real World’s Champion
On Collision, during which he’s been holding a black bag, CM Punk anoints himself the ‘Real World’s Champion’. He never lost the World title, so he’s claiming it, holding the original version with an ‘X’ spray-painted on it in black.
This captures the imagination of fans. Surely, this means a unification match against recognised World champion MJF is imminent - especially since their seminal programme was set to resume literally minutes before Brawl Out.
No: there are no firm plans to unify the titles; the “real” title, presumably, is there for Collision to have a purpose in the main event scene. Collision exists independently of Dynamite; CM Punk practically exists independently of AEW. There are now two AEWs, and they sit uneasily alongside one another. The audience is fractured enough as it is; they are now being encouraged to cowntinue what is becoming a tedious discourse through the TV shows.
All Elite Wrestling is profoundly broken in a way its ultra hardcore audience cannot accept. The vision has changed into something unrecognisable.
AEW’s big picture long-term story was the ascension and coronation of “main character” Hangman Page. Now, AEW has arrived at a position where he can’t or won’t wrestle his main antagonist. AEW is meant to be the promotion that makes real your wildest fantasy booking dreams. Blood. Unscripted promos. International dream matches. Everything is possible.
Except the thing you most want to see.
August 12, 2023 - Peg-Warmer
After Collision goes off the air, CM Punk cuts a promo. During it, he lambasts Hangman Page. Again.
“Earlier today, I went to a local supermarket and figured out why they call him “Hangman”. It’s because the pegs in the toy aisle are full of Hangman Page action figures because nobody wants to buy them. He’s a peg-warmer, unlike me, who moves merchandise, pops ratings, sells toys.”
Punk, in case this has not been made clear, is portrayed as a babyface on AEW Collision. In the battle of transgressions, Punk has recovered from an early setback and is now “winning” by a score that is difficult to keep count. At this point, if he had a very valid argument originally, it has been lost entirely. There is absolutely zero need for Punk to say this; the promo does not advance a fictional storyline that involves the all business-minded CM Punk, and this time, Page hasn’t said “a goddamn thing” to elicit a response.
It is out of pocket and out of nowhere. Even Punk knows he’s completely in the wrong; according to Bryan Alvarez, who has heard from both sides, Punk sends an apology to Page via text.
What’s Punk’s game here? Is he trying to apply pressure and arrive at a worked programme with the Elite through sheer force?
Or is he just pissed-off, checked-out, out of control and amusing himself, not caring what he does because he’s clever enough to know how the story ends?