AEW’s CM Punk made a cheeky reference to his fellow former WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) on the latest edition of AEW Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling’s newest big-name signing has dropped a major hint regarding a heavily rumored potential acquisition for the company — Daniel Bryan.
It all went down on TNT during the most recent edition of AEW’s flagship show, Dynamite. Following on from last Friday’s episode of Rampage, CM Punk made his second appearance on an AEW show and his first appearance on Dynamite when he made joined Tony Schiavone in the ring for a chat at the top of the second hour.
Punk was there to share some more thoughts on return and perhaps address a few bullet points that he may have missed last week due to time constraints. But he was also there to hype up his upcoming ALL OUT match with Darby Allin, which will be Punk’s first match in over seven years.
After announcing that he was retiring his “Voice Of The Voiceless” monicker due to the fact that the AEW locker room has its own voice to which people are willing to listen, Punk sang the praises of his ALL OUT opponent.
“I look at Darby Allin and I see someone who would have been my favorite wrestler when I was 15 years old,” Punk said before referencing a series of questions he’s been asking himself later. “Can you still go?! Can you still be the best?! Can you still be the Best In The World?!” he said with passion in his voice as the members of the audience began to answer the question for him in unison.
With the crowd chanting “YES! YES! YES!” Punk cheekily called attention to the recent reports that Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) is on his way to AEW.
“That’s somebody else’s schtick, and ya might just need to be a little more patient,” Punk said with a wry smile and a look in his eye that screamed, “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Source: TheSportster
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
* Jamie Hayter with Britt Baker and Rebel vs. Red Velvet
* Malakai Black vs. Brock Anderson with Arn Anderson
* Varsity Blondes vs. Lucha Bros (AEW Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament)
* Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy
* CM Punk makes his first Dynamite appearance
* Chris Jericho addresses his future
* Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, and Darby Allin vs. The Wingmen (Cezar Bononi, Ryan Nemeth, and JD Drake)
* The Factory (QT Marshall, Nick Comoroto, and Aaron Solo) vs. Gunn Club (Austin, Colten, and Billy Gunn)
CM Punk returned to wrestling after seven years and announced that he’s back, signed to AEW and will wrestle at All Out on September 5th.
AEW Rampage opened up with the biggest surprise that wasn’t really a surprise. CM Punk began the hour-long program by coming out to the ring and announcing he was back in professional wrestling and sticking around as part of the AEW roster.
Punk said, “I didn’t plan what I was going to say because I didn’t know how I was going to feel.” He added, “But I feel you Chicago. I hear you Chicago.” The fans started chanting his name, just like they did when the show began. Punk said he’s heard the fans for seven years.
Punk said, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that there wasn’t time to say everything he wanted do. The good news, he’s got the time, he’s not going anywhere and he’s with AEW so he’ll show up on Wednesdays, Fridays and pay-per-views. “If at all, through my journey, any of my personal decisions made you feel disappointed or let down, let me just say, I understand.” He asked fans to understand they understand he was never going to get healthy if he stayed in the same place that got him sick in the first place. Essentially, he needed the break he took.
“Can I tell you a story?,” he asked. He sat down, as he did with his pipe bomb that made him a star, and said he felt he had to leave. He mentioned he knew he had made a place in Ring of Honor where wrestlers could learn to love professional wrestling. He knew by going to WWE he was signing up for hard times. In August 2005, he left professional wrestling. August 20, 2021, (he) “I’m back.”
“I’m back for you.” He added that there’s a lot of young talent that he wants to be around. I’m back because I want to work with the young talent and because there’s some scores to settle in the locker room. He dropped the names of Darby Allin that he’s excited to work with — Allin was up in the rafters watching with Sting.
Punk said the most dangerous thing Allin could do is to wrestle CM Punk in Chicago. Punk said that will see Allin, Sting and the fans on September 5th at All Out live on pay-per-view.
A huge announcement was capped off when Punk said he appreciated everyone waiting. He said, “Grab a free ice cream bar on me.”
Source: TheSportster
Below is the AEW Media Scrum with CM PUNK and TONY KHAN after Rampage:
Tonight’s AEW Rampage: “The First Dance” airs on TNT at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Although not officially announced, it’s likely that CM Punk will be making his AEW debut on this show.
* Jade Cargill with Smart Mark Sterling vs. Kiera Hogan
* Private Party with Matt Hardy vs. Jurassic Express (AEW World Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament)
* Jon Moxley with Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia with 2.0
Another big name is reportedly headed to AEW soon.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is expected to sign with AEW in the near future. Flair asked for his WWE release earlier this month, and received it on August 3.
In an update, Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that sources close to AEW, that would be alerted to such things, have noted that a “new major AEW acquisition” is coming into the company soon, on the heels of the deals for CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
Punk’s AEW signing is expected to be announced on AEW Rampage tonight, and Bryan is rumored to debut on September 22 during the Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite in New York City.
It was recently exclusively reported on Wrestling Inc. that The Nature Boy does not have a non-compete clause with WWE, which means he is free to appear for any other promotion right now. He appeared at AAA’s TripleMania pay-per-view last weekend, and has been announced for the NWA 73rd Anniversary pay-per-view on August 29.
It’s possible that Flair is the “new major AEW acquisition” coming in, but that has not been confirmed.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
A new edition of Renee Paquette’s “Oral Sessions” podcast will premiere tonight at 6pm ET with special guest CM Punk.
The timing of this interview is interesting as it’s believed that tonight’s AEW Rampage episode at 10pm ET will feature the official announcement on Punk signing with AEW to make his long-awaited return to pro wrestling.
The Paquette – Punk interview will premiere on Renee’s official YouTube channel at 6pm, just a few hours before Rampage hits the air at 10pm. Below is the official synopsis for the interview:
“It’s clobberin’ time when Renee is joined by none other than CM Punk, and the ‘voice of the voiceless’ has plenty to say about his short-lived UFC run, the fate of WWE Backstage and the most controversial questions facing the industry today.”
Punk and Renee previously worked together on WWE Backstage for FS1.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former WWE Superstar Paul Wight will make his in-ring AEW debut against QT Marshall at All Out next month.
The legendary Paul Wight will lace up his boots for the first time since July of 2020 when he goes one-on-one with QT Marshall at AEW’s upcoming All Out pay-per-view on September 5th.
Wight announced his imminent return to the ring on the most recent edition of Dynamite, but the catalyst for his return was ignited on Dynamite a few weeks ago when QT Marshall poured a protein shake over Tony Schiavone’s head during a backstage interview. Schiavone had been critical of The Factory (QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, and Nick Comoroto) and their dastardly antics in the weeks leading up to the incident, much to the chagrin of Marshall, who lashed out and tried to make an example out of the veteran broadcaster.
The following week, The Factory continued to torment Schiavone by assaulting his son in front of his eyes. Paul Wight had no intention of letting Marshall and his cronies bully his old friend and current broadcast partner and so he inserted himself into the matter. The artist formerly known as The Big Show came to the ring and hit Solow with a huge Chokeslam while QT and Comoroto got outta dodge.
On this week’s Dynamite, Wight joined Schiavone in the ring for a chat. He explained that it felt good to hit that chokeslam and said he was still hyped up about it. Before he could go any further, QT and The Factory interrupted. Marshall was clearly concerned that Wight was considering an in-ring return because he came prepared with images of Wight’s carious surgeries, which he displayed on the big screen for all to see. Marshall’s attempts to deter Wight from getting back in the ring failed, and Wight revealed that he would be making his in-ring AEW debut at All Out … against QT Marshall.
Wight’s match at All Out will be his first for AEW. His last match took place in WWE back in July of 2020 when he lost to Randy Orton in an Unsanctioned match on Raw.
Source: TheSportster
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas.
* The Young Bucks (c) vs. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus (AEW World Tag Team Championship)
* Shawn Spears vs. Sammy Guevara (who also has a major announcement)
* Darby Allin and Sting vs. 2.0 (Texas Tornado Tag Match)
* MJF vs. Chris Jericho (5 Labours of Jericho: Chapter 5 – Jericho can’t use judas effect in the match, can’t use his “Judas” theme song)
* FTW Champion Ricky Starks and Brian Cage confrontation
* Thunder Rosa vs. Penelope Ford
* Britt Baker in action
Fans attending AEW Rampage at the United Center in Chicago this Friday will be required to wear masks.
On Tuesday, Chicago officials imposed a new indoor mask mandate which covers all indoor public settings, including bars and restaurants, clubs and common areas of residential buildings.
Starting Friday, anyone over the age of 2 will have to wear a face mask in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccine status, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a news conference.
Following Friday’s Rampage, AEW will return to Chicago for three consecutive shows – Dynamite on Sept. 1, Rampage on Sept. 3 and All Out on Sept. 5.
With rumors of CM Punk showing up at United Center, Friday’s Rampage is expected to be one of the biggest shows in AEW history.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
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