CM Punk returns to AEW with a bang after 8 year layoff

After 7 years, how much could we expect from CM Punk?

The emotions in Chicago reflected many of ours at home. With the match approaching, the pulse of the community wrestled with feelings of disbelief, anticipation, hopefulness, and real concern for disappointment.

Let’s face it, CM Punk is 42 years old and had not wrestled a live match in 2779 days, the likelihood of performing below our expectation was a realistic concern. Punk answered all our questions after he defeated Darby Allin as he glared into the camera and said with a smile, “People must have F’n forgot.”

This match had everything a fan would have wanted. Early, Punk and Allin presented an old-school feel and slowly evolved into the type of contest we would experience today. The intelligent pacing of the match was storytelling at its finest.

One of the biggest questions facing Punk going in was if he could keep up with Allin’s ludicrous speed. Physically, Punk looked tremendous, in arguably the best shape of his career. It did appear early on as if Punk were taking deep breaths, as to be expected considering the prolonged layoff, relying on long sequences of combination abdominal stretch/neck crank rest holds to recover.

The beauty of this match was the reality of emotion on Punk’s face and how it would change as it progressed. Early on, it did appear Punk was fighting timidly. It even appeared as if he may have had a slight limp and at times, he looked uncertain of himself.

This is where Allin deserves a lot of credit. Once he went on the offensive, he did not take it easy on Punk. Allin was throwing his body at Punk with reckless abandon. As a result, Punk’s entire demeanor changed, and discovered that next gear that made him the “Best in the World.”

The final act presented Punk in a way we all remembered him, but the real drama was seeing the sincere emotion and spirit in his eyes, a refreshing look we had not seen long before he left WWE. He was having fun again.

The expectations will continue to be high for Punk, but if All Out was any indicator of his potential, AEW should feel comfortable using him with any member of the roster going forward.