Why AEW Have NOT Botched CM Punk

by Michael Sidgwick
CM Punk
AEW

The fans will get used to them. We get used to everything, sh*tty ring names and megastar returns alike.

In the end, everything, no matter how awesome and unexpected it once was, comes to feel established. Routine. Isn't it better to save the real thrust of the CM Punk return for after the rush has worn off? Bryan Danielson Vs. Kenny Omega doesn't register as a classic, special match if CM Punk Vs. Kenny Omega happens two weeks later. AEW know what they're doing, too.

Punk is on the cusp of his first "proper" PPV-level feud, opposite Eddie Kingston. If that somehow fails, that's the time to worry. The time isn't now. Trace your mind back to Kenny Omega's 2019. It was communicated to the audience, time and time again, that Omega was deliberately positioning himself in the upper midcard with a view towards a main event push in year two. His year two push was awesome, and will lead via the most anticipated match of 2021 to Hangman Page taking over year three. This is just one example of AEW's slow-burn approach paying off. This is all heading somewhere.

AEW is not presenting CM Punk as a parachuted-in main event star by design. He is playing the role of a wily, intelligent wrestler slowly adjusting to an advanced athletic battleground.

Isn't this the sports-oriented narrative that some bury AEW for not telling?

If you enjoyed this AEW editorial, you'll very much enjoy my book Becoming All Elite: The Rise of AEW. The paperback version is available to pre-order right now at WhatCulture.BigCartel.com.

Don't delay!

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!