CM Punk is the newly-crowned AEW World Champion, effectively kicking off All Elite Wrestling’s own version of the “Summer of Punk.” The previous two installments, one in 2005 in Ring of Honor and again in 2011 in WWE, led to some of the best moments in the Chicago native’s career. And given how much momentum he has in All Elite Wrestling right now, all signs point to this summer being just as monumental. But is there any way Punk could actually surpass what came before? We’ve compiled a list of seven ways in which “Summer of Punk III” could be the best one yet, which you can check out below.
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Punk will compete in his first match as AEW World Champion tonight on AEW Dynamite, teaming with FTR to take on Max Caster and The Gunn Club. Stay tuned for live coverage of the episode!
1. Turn Heel
It doesn’t need to happen right away and it obviously shouldn’t happen until it makes sense storyline-wise, but a turn seems all but inevitable. Punk’s best work has always come as a heel — the first “Summer of Punk” made him out to be a WWE sellout and the ultimate villain for Ring of Honor, his days as the maniacal leader of the Straight Edge Society never failed to entertain and (even though people tend to forget this and he turned almost immediately after) he was positioned as a heel in WWE when he dropped the Pipe Bomb in 2011.
Both fans and critics of Punk’s have argued his true potential in AEW resides in whatever his character will be once he finally breaks out of the “Hey I’m a legend who’s thrilled to be back and loves wrestling young, promising talent” phase and a turn could be what unlocks that potential.
2. A Massive Forbidden Door Match
Putting Punk in a tag team match at AEW’s first crossover event with New Japan simply isn’t going to cut it. The show is in Chicago’s United Center — the biggest indoor venue in his hometown — so a star-studded, albeit consequence-free tag team or six-man tag match simply doesn’t feel big enough. But a title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay, Jay White or KENTA (whether Punk likes it or not) certainly feels worthy of the main event. Or if they want to get nuts, make it a Champion vs. Champion match with Kazuchika Okada with nothing but pride on the line. The show’s very existence has been a dream for wrestling fans since AEW launched, so why not go nuts with it?
CM vs. BCC
The Blackpool Combat Club has been one of the best things about pro wrestling since Bryan Danielson first pitched the idea to Jon Moxley. And Punk has repeatedly brought up the fact that while he has faced Dean Ambrose in the past, Moxley is an entirely different animal. That dynamic alone is worthy of a championship program, which can then be immediately followed by a feud with Danielson which all but guarantees a Match of the Year contender.
Returning to Wardlow and MJF
Wardlow is currently the top-ranked star in AEW’s singles division coming out of Double or Nothing and his match with Punk earlier this year immediately called for a rematch down the line. Having “Mr. Mayhem” turn to his attention to the TNT Championship before eventually confronting Punk could continue Wardlow’s meteoric rise and give us this decade’s version of a Bill Goldberg push.
As for Max, setting aside his apparent contract issues with AEW, having him challenge Punk seems like an obvious route to take at some point. He’s the only man in the company who can claim he’s beaten Punk and their record is technically 1-1. A rubber match could be one heck of a way to sell All Out or Full Gear to fans.
Have Him Fight Miro
For he is The Redeemer, and he may or may not already be on his way back to TV!
Put Him in a Trio With FTR
They seem to already be doing this with tonight’s Dynamite. But whenever those trios titles get introduced this would be a really fun group to keep together. Plus, you could turn all three of them heel and give fans the dominant faction they thought they were getting out of The Pinnacle.
Start Crossing Off Dream Matches
Heel or face, bitter champion or proud veteran, there are so many intriguing matchups still waiting for Punk on the AEW roster. Regardless of how he’s positioned, it’s time to start crossing off some of those dream matchups now that he’s champion.
