Long before CM Punk made history with his long-awaited WWE return, he rejoined the professional wrestling world in 2021 when he signed with AEW. Over the years he’s credited one specific star, daredevil Darby Allin, for getting him back into a professional wrestling ring. When it came time for his first match back since his initial WWE departure in 2014, he immediately set his sights on the young, emerging star. The match took place in Punk’s hometown of Chicago for All Out 2021 and it helped catapult Allin into the next stage of his career.
Punk’s AEW career came to an end last summer following several months of battles. His last official match was at AEW All In, though Punk claimed he was trying to get his release months before then, against Samoa Joe. The match was for the “Real World Championship” which Punk ended up walking out of the event with with his finger high. Just before that match Punk had gotten into a backstage altercation with Jack Perry that ultimately led to his firing.
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CM Punk Discusses His Favorite Match in AEW
Since his departure from AEW he’s been very scarce when talking about the company though he’s spoken very highly of a lot of the talent, including Allin. When asked about his favorite match in his AEW career, he immediately called to that first pay-per-view. “I like to think that that was special moment for Darby,” Punk told Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture at San Diego Comic-Con. “Being a straight-edge kid, being the one that kind of lured CM Punk back to the ring and getting my first match back after six or seven years or whatever it was. That’ll always be my number one with a bullet because I think Darby is a talented kid and I was happy to share the ring with him. I think we told a nice little story.”
Punk will return to the ring next weekend at WWE SummerSlam for the first time since January. He was injured in the Royal Rumble, opting to finish the match, but has been unable to compete since then as his body heals. He will go up against Drew McIntyre who has been giving everyone a masterclass in hating since Punk’s WWE return last year. Not only that, Seth Rollins will play an important role in their match which will undoubtedly leave Punk outnumbered.
Stay tuned to ComicBook for news and updates on both AEW and WWE.
