CM Punk is finally back in the wrestling business and he’s All Elite.
CM Punk made his long-awaited return to professional wrestling, debuting in All Elite Wrestling on the “First Dance” episode of AEW Rampage.
Punk opened the show and talked about how he would explain everything in due time, but he now has plenty of time to do that on Wednesdays, Fridays, and a few weekends a year. Punk said he’s sorry if any of his choices ever let anyone down, but they had to understand that he had to get healthy and wasn’t going to do that in the place that got him sick to begin with.
Punk then talked about leaving Ring Of Honor on August 13, 2005 (and he left professional wrestling that day, too) but now in August 2021, he’s back. Punk talked about settling scores and working with new talent, then looked to the rafters and called out Darby Allin. He told Darby he was in AEW to help him, then said Darby likes dangerous things, but there’s nothing more dangerous than wrestling him. Punk told Darby (and Sting) that he’d see them in Chicago, and said they’d wrestle at All Out.
Punk closed by saying seven years was a long time away, and said the fans could all have ice cream bars on him on the way home.
It's been a long time since @CMPunk has been in a ring, and he feels it!
Tune into @tntdrama NOW to watch #AEWRampage #theFirstDance LIVE! pic.twitter.com/L6GgQb96AC
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 21, 2021
"I'm BACK! – @CMPunk
Tune into @tntdrama NOW to watch #AEWRampage #theFirstDance LIVE! pic.twitter.com/3UOaQuvQp5
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 21, 2021
This marks CM Punk’s first official professional wrestling appearance since he was on the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 26, 2014. Since leaving the company, he’s worked on wrestling-related projects, including his analyst role on WWE Backstage that began in November 2019. Punk made sporadic appearances on the show, which was ultimately cancelled in June 2020 due to COVID-19 stopping production.
Ice cream bars for everyone at the @UnitedCenter tonight, courtesy of @CMPunk!
Tune into @tntdrama NOW to watch #AEWRampage #theFirstDance LIVE! pic.twitter.com/fqYaRxSDaQ
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 21, 2021
Punk is also set to debut as “Ricky Rabies” on the STARZ series Heels, playing a popular independent wrestler starting on the third episode of the show. You can check out our interview with Punk about the new role at this link.
