CM Punk is back in wrestling again and all is right with the world. The Second City Saint has returned to save the industry. I kid, of course, as wrestling was in pretty good shape before Punk returned to a deafening crowd reaction last month. It is exciting to see him back after all this time though, and further evidence that no matter how broken a wrestler's relationship is with the business, there's always a way back. Even if that way back is a completely new promotion coming out of the woodwork and immediately taking the number two spot.
Punk isn't just back to watch from the sidelines or do a little announcing. He has signed with AEW to wrestle, and that will officially begin this weekend at All Out. Punk addressed what will be his first match during his debut appearance in AEW, locking eyes with Darby Allin who was up in the rafters and challenging the young star to a match at All Out.
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Can Allin Carry A Rusty Punk?
Allin had teased Punk's arrival a few weeks before, quickly denying it later, so it was clear the former TNT Champion would accept Punk's challenge. Thus began the build to what will be one of, if not the biggest match in AEW history. It has been a simple build, but considering the historical significance of the match, it doesn't need to be anything more than that. The match itself will probably be pretty good too, as long as Punk has still got it which seems likely. Despite all of that though, the choice to have Punk face Allin for his first match back after all this time might be the wrong one.
If Punk is a little rusty, which is to be expected, Sunday's match could be hard to watch. Compare Punk's return to Edge's. The Rated R Superstar returned during last year's men's Royal Rumble match. A match in which not only did Edge not need to shine, he really didn't have to do much at all. A couple of spears, throw some people over the top rope, and that's it. He then went into a program with Randy Orton. A 20-year veteran with who Edge has an incredibly long history. Had the Hall of Famer struggled, Orton would have been able to cover for him.
Punk and Allin, on the other hand, have no history together beyond the last few weeks. Allin is also incredibly young in the business and will likely struggle to cover for Punk if he does have issues getting back into the swing of things after all these years. Hopefully, that won't be an issue. Deciding who should win this match though, that's a problem that cannot be avoided.
Who Wins, And More Importantly, Who Loses?
Punk versus Allin needs a winner. A cop-out finish in front of a rabid Chicago crowd will go down very poorly. That's not a crutch AEW leans on anyway, so the odds of it being done on a stage of this size is almost zero. That means one of these men has to win, and it might well be the hardest match to predict on the card. It's hard to see a result that won't lead to booking problems for AEW, or even worse, a negative reaction from the fans.
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Although it isn't entirely accurate, AEW is constantly accused of picking up all of WWE's “rejects”. The fans who make those accusations will be waiting with bated breath for Punk to pick up the win so they can accuse the promotion of burying its younger talent. While that isn't something AEW makes a habit of, despite what some might say, it's hard to ignore if Punk wins on Sunday. Especially when it's something that could have been avoided if Punk had simply been given an opponent who is a step or two down from Allin right now.
The alternative is Punk losing and Allin picking up the win. While that would give Allin an unbelievable career highlight, Punk losing his first match in seven years just doesn't feel right. The match is also taking place in Punk's hometown. Since this isn't happening under WWE's banner, it seems unlikely AEW will have him lose just to show him up and annoy the fans. Speaking of which, Allin beating Punk in Chicago will garner a cascade of boos so loud that he might become a heel simply because the Chicago fans deem it so.
It's difficult to see a positive spin AEW can put on this after the match result. AEW probably should have booked Punk against a slightly lesser opponent in a match he was guaranteed to win. On the bright side, putting him against Allin adds intrigue and allows for the sort of unpredictability that sparks articles like this one. It will be fascinating to see how the match pans out, and more importantly, how AEW deals with the aftermath.
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