Why AEW Have NOT Botched CM Punk
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The story is authentic, and it's the story that CM Punk wants to tell.
He is legitimately thrilled to receive giant pops in towns he never thought he'd make again in a competent meritocracy. The man was legitimately traumatised by his time in WWE. He's wrestling again with a smile on his face. It's real. It's awesome. And how much more meaningful is it going to be when a heel finally wipes that smile off his bloodied face?
What's reassuring, to those paying strict attention, is that Punk is nailing the minutiae of his selling. Against Darby Allin, Punk recognised his opponent's threat and almost panicked as he got the hell out of his way. Against Powerhouse Hobbs, he sold the crunching thud of the spinebuster as well as he sold, by flailing his head around, the prospect of being manhandled by a far bigger wrestler. Against Daniel Garcia, he sold the dull ache of his battered knee when he was unable to hit the GTS. He finished him off with the Anaconda Vice. Against Matt Sydal, after improvising an extra, countered body slam attempt in a sublime, elusive calling-it-in-the-ring moment, he succeeded by pounding his opponent on the apron of the ring. His facial expression perfectly captured the arc. "Hey, I can do that now," he seemed to suggest, drawing one tiny step closer to becoming a wrestler in 2021 as opposed to a wrestler who retired in 2014. Against Bobby Fish, his thigh ritually taken apart, he had to perform his diving elbow drop from one leg.
His ability to perform spots that logically precede the next is exceptional.
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