CM Punk’s time in AEW has officially come to an end. Punk officially competed in 33 matches during his two-year run with the company, holding the AEW World Championship twice (though he never recorded a title defense) and ending his run as the self-proclaimed “Real” AEW World Champion. In terms of his in-ring work, Punk had plenty of highlights in matches against MJF, Eddie Kingston, Darby Allin, FTR, Samoa Joe, Ricky Starks and Jon Moxley. But there were still so many matches fans were eager to see that now will likely never happen. You can see some of the biggest in the list below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
What was your favorite match from Punk’s AEW run? How do they compare to his highlights from WWE? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
A Rematch With MJF
The standout rivalry from Punk’s time in AEW is unquestionably his program with MJF. The pair wrestled twice, first on an episode of AEW Dynamite in Chicago and again at AEW Revolution 2022 in a brutal Dog Collar Match. The pair split those results 1-1 but between Max’s recent character evolution and Punk’s claim as the “real” world champion it felt like AEW was setting the stage for the two to clash again before the end of the year.
A Singles Match With Kenny Omega and a CMFTR vs. Elite Trios Match
Once it became clear that Punk wasn’t leaving AEW after the “Brawl Out” incident, fans started chomping at the bit for AEW to take the real-life issues between Punk and The Elite and turn them into matches on AEW TV. Punk vs. Kenny Omega felt like a legitimate possibility given Omega’s comments in interviews and various backstage reports, but the crown jewel was a trios match involving Omega and The Young Bucks against Punk and FTR.
One More Match With Bryan Danielson
Getting to see Punk and Samoa Joe lock horns again after so many years was a treat, but one could argue his rivalry with Bryan Danielson is even more extensive. The two first wrestled in Ring of Honor way back in 2002 and they’d wind up either teaming together or facing each other numerous times in WWE. But a match between Punk and a rejuvenated, Blackpool Combat Club-era Danielson could’ve put all of those WWE matches to shame.
Finally Answering Will Ospreay’s Challenge
Will Ospreay has been openly pushing for a match with Punk for years, all the way back to when he was the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Theoretically, this match could still happen if Punk is a) still wanting to continue his in-ring career and b) makes a deal to work with New Japan. But the clock at this particular match is also ticking as Ospreay’s current New Japan contract only has a few months left, after which there’s a solid chance he’ll either join AEW full-time or head to WWE.
A Match With Okada
Ever since the first Forbidden Door pay-per-view was introduced, Punk vs. Okada was listed as one of the dream matchups that could actually become a reality. But Punk had to miss the first show due to injury and Okada was preoccupied with Danielson for this year’s event. Like the Ospreay matchup, this could still theoretically happen.
Random Matches That Sound Like Fun
- CM Punk vs. Orange Cassidy — Cassidy continues to rise up the ranks with his record-breaking International Championship reign and seeing how Punk would respond to his schtick would have been fun
- CM Punk vs. Jay White — it felt like this was the direction they were headed after those first few episodes of AEW Collision.
- CM Punk vs. Malakai Black — the trios match with The House of Black was fun, but felt like the appetizer for something bigger.
- CM Punk vs. Miro — They could’ve poked fun at all of the backstage rumors about their completely unserious backstage encounter
- CM Punk vs. Keith Lee — Because Lee is great and deserves more singles matches
- CM Punk vs. Adam Cole — Cole was the only person Punk spoke highly off in his infamous press conference rant right before the “Brawl Out.” And since Cole is friends with both Max and everybody in The Elite, that could’ve made for a fun angle
Punk as a Heel
Punk’s first year with AEW felt like a victory lap and many of his critics were waiting to see him shift into another gear where he’d bring something completely new to the table — most likely as a heel. It seemed like that was the eventual direction AEW was heading once he came back from suspension but now those plans have been snuffed out.
