The wrestling world has been abuzz over the past week with rumours of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan both signing to All Elite Wrestling. Whatever I say to express how huge this would be for the promotion would be a massive understatement, as there’s no doubt that if both former WWE Champions and indie darlings were to sign for AEW, then it would significantly change the status quo of the wrestling industry.
It’s easy to draw comparisons between AEW and its spiritual predecessor, World Championship Wrestling, during the peak of the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s, but perhaps there’s none more appropriate than the potential signings of Punk and Bryan and the shocking debuts of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall as The Outsiders. It’d be a safe assessment to say that Hall and Nash kickstarted the era that would see the likes of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, The Rock and The NWO rise to prominence, and produce one of the most exciting periods of wrestling history. Perhaps the debuts of Punk and Bryan could very well innovate a similar era across both AEW and WWE.
Much like the signing of The Outsiders, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk could easily elevate AEW to the next level, giving them two blockbuster names to add to their already stellar Dynamite roster. Of course, they’ll always have their detractors for yet again relying on former WWE stars, but considering the global reach that both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk have had throughout their tenures, heir mere presence at a single show could only mean big things for AEW going forward.
Even though this is still all hear-say, with Punk continuing to tease fans through not-so-subtle hints on social media, it would be a huge opportunity for AEW to pass up if it were indeed on the table. Several reputable sources have already come forward explaining the current plans and potential debuts for Daniel Bryan, meaning there’s at least something in the works if Bryan were to debut, however nothing is set in stone. With WWE desperately trying to recall all of those lost in the plethora of releases, it wouldn’t shock me if they made one final play to bring ‘The Leader of the Yes Movement’ back to WWE TV.
Punk, on the other hand, is a bit of a different tale, with his only affiliation to WWE being his work as part of WWE Backstage. His initial re-emergence as part of the panel show broke major headlines and sparked many fantasy bookers’ imaginations for a potential in-ring return, though that never came to pass and he soon faded away during the pandemic. Punk debuting with All Elite Wrestling and potentially step into the squared circle for the first time in almost a decade would be a major attraction.
It’s almost been a destiny of sorts for CM Punk to align with AEW. Ever since the very first press conference and subsequent All In/Out shows in Chicago, fans have been clamouring to see Phil Brookes make his first appearance for the company. Some may argue that the hype has well and truly passed, but you can’t deny that you’d pop like mad for the static and the rendition of Cult of Personality.
So with all that in mind, what’s stopping this mammoth deal from going ahead? I suppose it’s entirely down to if Punk and Bryan actually want to prolong their in-ring careers. Bryan has already had an incredible career both inside and outside of WWE, as has CM Punk, but AEW seems to be the place for aging stars to revitalise their body of work and only improve on what they’ve already accomplished. With the likes of Chris Jericho, Christian Cage and Paul Wight all putting in some of the best work of their entire careers as part of the AEW roster, it’d be hard to imagine the likes of Bryan and Punk doing anything less.
Punk especially needs to end his career on a positive note. No fan wants to consider his string of losses in UFC, and the miserable state his WWE career ended on as his final hurrah. Seeing Punk live out some final dream matches against the likes of Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, MJF and The Young Bucks would be the perfect finale to his storied tenure in the spotlight.
Both men would not only bring across the few remaining fans who haven’t already been won over but they’d be a huge assist to the rest of the roster as well. The wealth of knowledge shared by Bryan and Punk alone would help give a boost to those aspiring stars hoping to make it as part of the wider AEW scene, there’s no way of looking at these signings in a negative light.
If CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were to emerge on an AEW card in the near future, then there’s no arguing the fact that the wrestling world is set to explode. I for one hope that we all have something to be very excited for going forward, with WWE firing on all cylinders by bringing back the almighty John Cena, AEW need a couple aces to roll out for the summer, and they could very well be these two wrestling megastars.
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