KEY POINTS

  • CM Punk is back in wrestling after officially debuting on AEW Rampage
  • CM Punk rewards AEW with a big rating surge last August 20
  • He is out to revive his image after a lackluster run in the UFC

CM Punk, also known as Phil Brooks, is back to the sport where he made his mark.

The ex-WWE champion formally returned to wrestling when he appeared on “AEW Rampage” on Friday, August 20, something that boded well for the promotion.

After trying out his craft in the mixed martial arts scene, Punk now tries to pick up from where he left off. Most know his unceremonious exit from the WWE went.

Given that forgettable exit, most thought they had seen the last of CM Punk in the squared circle.

All that has now been doused with the 42-year-old wasting no time in calling out his first opponent in the wrestling ring after seven years.

CM Punk called out rising star Darby Allin for a match at AEW’s next pay-per-view “All-In” set to take place on September 5.

Being out for so long, most are curious to see the kind of shape the former WWE champion is in.

He is likely to show some rust from his long layoff from wrestling. Regardless, it has already been established that his coming to AEW is electric and something that will surely help the promotion.

All that can be seen when he was introduced on the last AEW show with fans chanting his name in a highly charged and emotional return to wrestling.

For AEW, Punk’s coming also got off to a good start. “AEW Rampage” drew 1.129 viewers, 692,000 of which were in the adults 18-49 demographic per Nielsen.

It was the largest rating for any AEW program since “AEW Dynamite” in October 2019, Variety reported.

Things look promising for AEW with CM Punk in tow. Aside from Allin, he also mentioned some other rising stars he is expected to work with. That list includes Kenny Omega, Jungle Boy and the Young Bucks.

CM Punk
CM Punk prepares to fight Mike Jackson in their welterweight bout during the UFC 225: Whittaker v Romero 2 event at the United Center in Chicago, June 9, 2018. Dylan Buell/Getty Images

But of course, there is no question that CM Punk will have his eyes on getting another wrestling belt around his waist. The tone is likely to be set once he officially wrestles again.

Considering Allin is known as a daredevil, CM Punk’s first match since 2014 should be a humdinger–not to mention an event that is likely to register new viewership ratings to AEW’s delight.

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