Is CM Punk Better In AEW Than He Was In WWE?

CM Punk’sreturn to wrestling was a moment many fans didn’t expect to happen. A WWE return was almost impossible, but once AEW began, talk stirred up of a potential CM Punk comeback, which would eventually occur when he came out to a thunderous ovation last August. His run has been fun so far, with some standout feuds against the likes of Eddie Kingston and MJF taking place. With Punk being a success thus far, would it be too much to claim that he has been better in AEW than he was in WWE?

CM Punk Became An Icon During His Time In WWE

Comparing half a year to a near-decade stint is certainly difficult, but fans will do it either way. Punk was already a big name on the independent scene, but his stock rose to exponential heights in WWE, but it took quite a while. Punk debuted in ECW, and would eventually become champion as a popular babyface, before taking that to Raw and Smackdown, with a couple of title reigns here and there. In 2009, a heel turn took him to a much higher level, with a fantastic feud against Jeff Hardy which was by far the best thing he’d been involved with in WWE to that point.

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It took several years for WWE to get it right, but Punk was finally a top name. Following his loss of the World Heavyweight Title, he would establish the Straight Edge Society, which was an underrated stable, and they would constantly lose. It was a missed opportunity for WWE to not use this stable to a higher degree. Punk followed this with an equally unsuccessful run as leader of a group, with The New Nexus being a failure. However, this would lead to the Summer of Punk, which propelled him to enormous heights.

Punk’s contract expiration storyline was phenomenal, and it produced one of the best angles in WWE history. WWE would mess around with the follow-up, overloading Punk’s story with Triple H and Kevin Nash in a mess of a conclusion. Punk would eventually win the WWE Title and undergo a record-breaking reign lasting over 400 days, but he was often overshadowed by John Cena’s non-title rivalries. Regardless, Punk would have several fantastic matches over the course of his WWE career, against the likes of Chris Jericho, Cena, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, and The Undertaker.

CM Punk’s First Six Months In AEW Have Been Fun

It was hard to tell how good Punk would be following his debut in AEW, with it being seven years since he last wrestled. His mic skills hadn’t wavered, with his command of the audience being strong. His first match with Darby Allin was fun, although the ring rust was apparent. Over the next couple of months, Punk didn’t do too much of note. He would wrestle more, shaking off all that ring rust, and his promos would be full of “happy to be here” content. When he entered a feud with Eddie Kingston, that all changed. The feud was intense, personal, and brought out a new side to Punk, with the match being hard-hitting.

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Following this, Punk began a feud with MJF that would spread over several months, with one of the most nuanced storylines in recent memory, with his pair of matches with MJF both being huge successes, full of animosity and emotion. It took a little while, but Punk’s run in AEW now feels like it is fully underway. Although it was slow at the start, looking back that was an important period in easing Punk back into a position where he could have major and lengthy matches.

Punk Has Been More Consistent In AEW, But His WWE Run Wins For Now

In terms of consistency, Punk’s run in AEW has been far better, due to his character depth and development, which has been realistic with two incredible feuds, with his recent MJF storyline being up there with his best rivalries of all time. Due to only being within the company for six months, and due to his prime being several years ago, his match quality in WWE currently reigns supreme, with him wrestling many all-time classics.

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His match with John Cena at Money in the Bank, and the month both preceding and proceeding it, was the hottest nearly any wrestler had been since the Attitude Era, and that angle will forever be one of the best in wrestling. He had standout feuds throughout his WWE run, but there were always down periods during his time with the company that severely lacked any focus, character depth, or quality. His AEW run may not be as memorable as his time in WWE, but if AEW keeps up the consistency with his character and storylines, it may very well surpass it.