The Self-Destruction Of CM Punk In AEW | Wrestling Timelines
2019 - The Never In ‘Never Say Never’
It is, as you imagine, a strange time in CM Punk’s life. He embarks on a humiliating venture into UFC, in which he is demolished by Mickey Gall in two minutes and 14 seconds on September 10, 2016. His critics might point out that his historic name value grants him a quick route to a key fight. Elsewhere, he dabbles in graphic novel writing.
CM Punk has shown no strong desire to return to pro wrestling. Punk becomes the “never” in “never say never”. It is thought that he is the one wrestler who, unlike Bret Hart, will never return to WWE.
Punk, in his famous WWE pipebomb promo, entertained the idea of defending the WWE title in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In 2017, that promotion is red-hot, reaching a new apex of critical acclaim so high that it is able to expand into the United States. There’s no serious talk of Punk joining the company, and the idea isn’t remote, either: New Japan will secure Chris Jericho shortly thereafter.
In 2018, All In happens: a show designed to draw the largest independent gate in the history of the scene, and marketed as the culmination of a movement. Across NJPW, Ring Of Honor, the indies and the Being the Elite YouTube series, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks have vowed to take WWE on, or at least prove that good wrestling can be big. Shockingly, they are successful. Pro wrestling is getting bigger, much bigger, beyond WWE’s monopolised control. Wrestling is changing for the better - which is what Punk wished for, albeit in character, in 2011.
Punk doesn’t appear at the event, despite some naive wish-casting. The dots are easy to connect; the show emanates from Chicago, and the Elite are continuing his fictional character’s old mission. It doesn’t happen, and the consensus is that, if he isn’t coming back for this, he isn’t coming back at all.
The Elite are successful to an extent nobody thought possible. The ultimate pipe dream happens; an intelligent hardcore fan son of a billionaire, Tony Khan, invests in a fan-friendly alternative fronted by the Elite entitled All Elite Wrestling. The upstart company debuts on May 25, 2019. The inaugural event, Double Or Nothing, draws 11,000 fans. It’s a smash success, and, after an uneven yet hugely promising start to televised life, AEW, by the spring of 2021, has survived a global pandemic and WWE counterprogramming to become a blood-soaked cable TV hit of creative expression and long-term storytelling, mostly secured in the medium-term by a decent rights fee.
Punk is only tenuously linked. He alleges to ESPN in July 2019 that he was made an offer by AEW (and Cody Rhodes) via text. “Texting offers isn’t really a way to do good business,” Punk says. Cody later claims on Twitter, in November, that he “never texted anybody an offer”.
It’s ironic, and halfway amusing, that Punk and AEW tell a different version of their story together years before he actually signs. If there was a chance of Punk heading to AEW, it feels like they’ve blown it.