CM Punk returned to AEW as a member of the Collision roster, and he had a red bag with him for that first promo. That red bag appeared a few times, as the Second City Savior hinted at the fact that he had a treasure in that bag. Suddenly, he pulled out his AEW World Title, a championship he never lost, and declared it the “real” world title, as he laid his own trademark on the gold.
CM Punk ruffled a few feathers so far with his return to AEW so far. Fans, and the AEW roster alike, are seeing some of the results of that political pull he has with Tony Khan’s company. It was warned that he is a ticking time bomb, as an “explosion” is coming if TK can’t remedy this situation.
Punk frequently incorporates an X symbol to signify his identity, a motif he even applied to his ‘real’ AEW World Title belt, adding a black X on the July 29th episode of Collision.
In a conversation with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, CM Punk reminisced about his early wrestling days, where he felt like an outsider due to his straight-edge lifestyle. He shared that his then-girlfriend Natalie Slater suggested integrating his genuine way of life into his wrestling character.
“When I’d just started wrestling, one of the first places I found steady work was Mid American Wrestling run by Carmine DeSpirito, and we ran a Knights of Columbus Hall in West Ellis, Wisconsin once a month.
“I think the appeal for the fans there was really cheap beer. I was this straight edge kid that didn’t fit in anywhere, except for with the freaks and geeks in a pro wrestling locker room.
“I had not done this straight edge gimmick yet. I was racking my brain to come up with a great idea, and I remember my girlfriend at the time, Natalie Slater, who is still to this day a great friend of mine, pointed out the pot of gold was right under my nose.
“She was like, ‘Why don’t you just be you? Why don’t you just be straight edge?’ All credit to her. That’s where it was born.
“That’s why I tape my wrists, that’s why I X-up my hands, and that’s where ‘Straight edge means I’m better than you’ comes from.
“Looking back on it now, there’s a lot of people I currently work with who are not only wrestlers because of me–their words–they’re straight edge because of me. It’s time to go back to that. Look how powerful it is. That’s a nice itch I get to scratch now.”
It was noted that CM Punk apologized for what he said about Hangman Page. That being said, there is also nothing going on in a creative sense between The Elite and CM Punk. There is some real heat there, and they have to keep them separate.
We will have to see what happens next with this situation. CM Punk’s time in WWE has been interesting so far, and that’s not changing. He is also not afraid to get very candid about his time in the company so far, but we’re sure there are things he isn’t saying.
What’s your take on CM Punk in AEW? Sound off in the comments to let us know what you’re thinking!