In the aftermath of the brawl following AEW’s All Out PPV, it was perhaps best if CM Punk never returned to wrestling. He should’ve stayed as a hypothetical, a “what if?” that fans mused over years to come.
But the reality is he came back.
He came back white hot like a burning star reaching supernova—and like a star reaching its supernova, he burned out just as quickly. Punk’s return lasted a year. And what a year it was for him. It seemed like he was in a much happier place. You could see it in his face and hear it in his voice every time he came out and spoke to the fans.
He gave a teary interview during one of the scrums, saying how Bret Hart never got a second chance and wished he could’ve given his second chance to Bret. Punk knew he was fortunate. Yet, he squandered it because of his pride, his ego, and his self-righteousness.
CM Punk is the modern-day King Lear. A paranoid man who sees threats out of thin air, friends plotting his downfall, and enemies at every corner. He’s also wrestling’s Kanye West in terms of public meltdowns and forcing people—like Chris Jericho—to go on record saying that they’ll never work with him.
The claim that EVPs (The Young Bucks) leaked information to wrestling media about Punk having something to do with Colt Cabana’s disappearance from the Dark Order and AEW has been proven false.
The claim that Larry—Punk’s dog—had his teeth loosen because of the Bucks kicking the door in has been proven false.
Nothing Punk’s camp has said about the ALL OUT brawl has had an ounce of truth to it. The more they try to frame it in Punk’s favor, the more damage it’s causing Punk’s reputation and credibility—the bit that he has left anyway.
I used to be a CM Punk fan. Now, I’m not so sure.
He disrespected the company that gave him his comeback. He disrespected Tony Khan, a man who not only gave him that comeback but believed in him to be the top guy and bring the company to another level of popularity. Punk failed.
Punk returned after seven years, but in hindsight, he should’ve stayed gone. He should’ve kept riding on his horse into the sunset like a cowboy at the end of every western film.
The lyric to this song is apropos:
And it’s the stars
The stars that shine for you
And it’s the stars
The stars that lie to you
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