CM made his promotional debut on Friday’s episode of AEW Rampage in his hometown at the United Center. It marked the first time he was inside of a ring on live national TV in seven years, which marked the end of his WWE run. Now, he’s full-time with All Elite Wrestling.
Punk was a guest on Monday’s episode of the Kap & J. Hood show on ESPN 1000 Chicago (25:36 mark). Punk was asked where that moment ranks in his life and career over the last seven years.
“Over the last seven years, I’ll take it back further, honestly. I was discussing this with a couple of my friends and that might have been the greatest moment, the greatest night of my career. So, just the entire night couldn’t have gone more perfect. The way we set it up as the worst kept secret, selling out the United Center on a rumor that I was going to be there, never announced, never advertised, shows the connection to the fanbase that AEW has.”
He continued by noting that the fans get it and want to go to shows to have a good time. He also brought up how they didn’t feel they needed to advertise it in advance to get a big TV rating. For him, wrestling has always been about moments and getting people to feel something.
“It was a perfect storm, perfect night.” Punk continued by noting everyone was positive backstage and he met many new people.
“It was the perfect night and the perfect moment for so many reasons, and I’m just talking personally. You know publicly, I think it’s a smashing success.”
He noted that while a lot of people love social media engagement whether that’s YouTube views or social media clips, that doesn’t matter to him. Regarding the free ice cream, he wanted to show the fans how thankful he is that they waited so long to see him return.
Punk said he feels optimistic about the roster and he feels like the veteran slugger on an MLB team full of prospects. He put them over for being eager to entertain fans and have fun doing it. He thinks the fans can see that and helps them enjoy the moment.
Regarding his match with Darby Allin, he said he doesn’t have to try to do all these wild moves, but rather he wants to tell a story. He plans to watch Allin’s matches and try to get some ideas for the match. He confirmed that he has trained in the ring to get ready, but hasn’t overtrained because he doesn’t want to beat up his body.
