It's Time For CM Punk To Be A Heel In AEW
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On the May 31, 2023, edition of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan delivered an announcement to fans regarding the premiere episode of AEW Collision on June 17, 2023. Khan confirmed what many had been heavily speculating for weeks. The first episode of Collision, which will air from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, will feature a returning CM Punk. However, the reception for this news was mixed from fans. While there were cheers coming from the crowd, there were also plenty of boos in there as well. Fans are split on their views of CM Punk. However, with a reception like this, AEW could take advantage and present CM Punk as one of the biggest heels in the company.
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2021 Vs 2023: Two Very Different Times For CM Punk
When CM Punk made his debut in AEW in 2021 on the debut edition of Rampage, it was a big deal. For seven years he had been gone. He was greeted to an enormous pop from fans who were elated to see him back in a professional wrestling ring. He was presented as a top face, wanting to face any and everybody in the AEW roster. However, that was then. In the time since CM Punk’s debut, a lot of things have changed. There was the infamous media scrum at All Out 2022, which saw The Elite and CM Punk off of television. While The Elite returned a couple of months later, CM Punk’s situation was up in the air. Nobody was certain what was going to come next. But, it is confirmed now.
While CM Punk will certainly get cheers in Chicago on June 17 at Collision, the mixed reaction of boos and cheers from fans when it was announced cannot go unnoticed. It would be impossible, and many fans are aware of the situations he’s had in AEW. However, with all of this, AEW does have a big opportunity to build CM Punk as a heel in the promotion. It does not make sense to have the same huge babyface comeback that he had in 2021. It simply could not work this time around. But, as a heel, it opens up a whole new side to CM Punk in AEW that has yet to be fully explored.
The Seeds Have Been Sown For A Heel CM Punk In The Past
While CM Punk was a babyface during his first go around in AEW, there were moments fans witnessed that showed an indication that he could still access that heelish side. The first time this was seen was in his feud with Eddie Kingston. During their phenomenal promo battle, it was the first time ever up to that point where fans were split on who they should cheer for. Fast-forward briefly, the feud with MJF entered a place that was extremely personal and emotional. Nothing was off the table. With “Hangman” Adam Page, he questioned the fundamental character of CM Punk.
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This was a commonality across these three different feuds. It was a question of if CM Punk was who he said he was. Kingston, MJF, and Page all wanted to bring something to the surface that they saw that very few if anyone else did. MJF once referenced a promo CM Punk delivered in ROH, where he said, “The greatest thing the Devil ever did was make you people believe he didn't exist—and you're looking at him right now. I am the devil himself and all of you stupid, mindless people fell for it.” With a heel CM Punk, this side of him could be explored even further than it had been prior. It has the potential to add a lot of deep layers to CM Punk, where seeds have already been sown. CM Punk is also no stranger to playing a heel character in professional wrestling. ROH and WWE are prime examples where has successfully pulled it off. There is no reason this cannot be done in AEW.
A Heel Run Can Be A New Start For CM Punk In AEW
It would truly be a waste not to explore the potential of a villainous, heel CM Punk in AEW. If there was anytime to do that, now is the perfect time. CM Punk has no shortage of opponents with whom this side of himself could be explored. Old faces are returning to AEW and new ones are bound to come in. His storyline with MJF was left on a cliffhanger the very night MJF returned to AEW. CM Punk has shown what he could do as a babyface, but that time is over. A new era is being in AEW with Collision, and a new, heel CM Punk is the best way to begin it.
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