AEW All Out: 10 of the best matches and moments that define CM Punk's journey to becoming 'The World's Best'

Wrestling fans have been waiting more than seven years to see CM Punk return to a wrestling ring. This wait is over from Sunday night’s AEW All Out pay-per-view, where Punk faces rising young star Darby Allin in one of the biggest matches in AEW history.

Seven years is a long time. Young men and women now old enough to legally drink were obsessed with the upcoming releases of the latest films in The Hunger Games tetralogy as Punk’s career progressed in 2014. Instead of “the milk crate challenge” was the internet still in the clutches of the “ice bucket challenge” that wrestling fans spent that summer wondering if one of the best stars had really gone away forever.

Each year that followed carried its own rumors of a Punk return that had more root in fan hope than any tangible proof that a return was actually on the way.

Then came AEW and the first true national competitor to the product that had deprived Punk of the joy he had found in wrestling. Suddenly, the prospect of Punk wrestling again seemed realistic. It took two years after AEW’s formation, but Punk finally appeared in the August 20 episode of AEW Rampage in Chicago, which officially announced its return to wrestling in front of a hometown crowd.

The return, the reaction, and the pitch-perfect promo that followed all served as immediate reminders that Punk continues to be as good as anyone else in history at creating iconic professional wrestling moments.

As we prepare to embark on the next era in Punk’s career, let’s take a look back at the opponents and moments that have defined his already legendary career.

The breakout rivalry with Chris Hero

While Punk’s early career was largely defined by his time either opposite or in partnership with Colt Cabana, his now former best friend and fellow student at Steel Domain, the rivalry that broke Punk out as an attraction he had to see was his series of battles. with Chris Helt. Hero and Punk built a spectacular rivalry in Indiana-based IWA Mid-South that saw them come face to face in battles that became big hits for VHS dealers and collectors, including nearly an hour of tables, ladders and chairs and 93 minutes of ironman match.

The rivalry between Punk and Hero would make both important names in an independent wrestling boom period and enable Punk to be featured throughout the county against a host of other future stars.

A bloody Ring of Honor feuded with Raven

Ring of Honor was launched in 2002 as a prestigious independent wrestling campaign, promoting the independent boom as the campaign pushed to bring together the best unsigned wrestlers in the world for top-to-bottom action shows. In 2003, Punk became a heel for promotion and entered into a long feud with Raven. The Raven Feud was a focal point of ROH programming and allowed Punk to bring more exposure to his straight-laced heel character and built on Punk’s actual lifestyle as someone who does not drink alcohol or do drugs against Raven, who had struggled with drug and alcohol abuse in his past.

Punk and Raven would fight in a series of bloody matches, including a dog collar fight and several matches inside a steel cage. On a bigger stage than he had been on to date, Punk proved that he could not only take on captivating wrestling matches, but had the abilities to carry a story as a character.

America’s first five-star match in seven years

Punk would continue to serve as one of ROH’s top stars for years and eventually enter into a feud with then-champion Samoa Joe. The duo participated in a series of three matches, with the first two matches ending in a draw 60 minutes before Joe won a victory in the third match. The rivalry is even more remarkable for producing the first American fight to receive five stars in seven years from veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. That distinction was given to the second in the series of three matches.

Summer with punk

Punk wanted to sign a development deal with in 2005 and was apparently to close his ROH career in a fight with ROH champion Austin Aries on Death Before Dishonor III. Instead of the expected result, as Punk lost and moved on to his career, Punk won the championship and started trolling in the ROH locker room and fans, promising to take the title with him when he left and even sign his contract on top of the ROH championship. The Summer of Punk, as it became known, was a wild ride to end Punk’s ROH career and mix reality with his departure with unexpected twists and turns that would later be revised somewhat around the time of Punk’s infamous “Pipe Bomb” in .

First money in the bank’s victory and championship

After disappearing in the failed attempt to revive the ECW brand — which included a period of Punk as ECW champion — Punk finally broke through to the top tier as he won the Money in the Bank match at 24. Punk would move on for cash in the championship contract at Raw, waiting until Edge had been laid off by Batista before running to the ring and hitting his Go to Sleep finisher to win his first major championship. The title time would prove to be mostly forgetful and lasted only 69 days before he was forced to lose the championship after an attack by Randy Orton.

World heavyweight rivalry with Jeff Hardy

As a 25-year-old, Punk won money in the bank for the second time. Again, he would continue to successfully deposit the contract, this time defeating Jeff Hardy to win the world heavyweight championship. This would lead to a new era of Punk as a heel calling back to his ECW rivalry with Raven as he once again pushed his straight lifestyle while feuding with a man who had a long history of substance abuse issues. This title period would do much more than the previous one to establish Punk as a main event player, and the feud with Hardy would produce a few title changes and some memorable matches, none better than their SummerSlam 2009 TLC main event, which Punk won to regain the championship.

“The Pipe Bomb” and John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011

In 2011, Punk grew increasingly frustrated with his time, and just like during Summer of Punk, he blurred the boundaries between fantasy and reality. Prior to a fight with John Cena on Money in the Bank, Punk delivered what would become known as “The Pipe Bomb”. During this campaign, Punk waited on fans, wrestlers and management while promising to win the championship at the upcoming pay-per-view before leaving the company. The promo injected new life and attracted the attention of lsed fans, bringing a new sense of unpredictability to programming.

That Punk and Cena would continue to fight without a doubt the best match between both men’s careers at Money in the Bank made things even better. Punk wanted to win the championship and defy expectations again when his contract ended. He would, of course, sign a new agreement and continue to be highlighted as a major event.

434 days as champion

Punk won the championship again in October 2011 and beat Alberto Del Rio in the Survivor Series. This victory started what would become the longest title period in modern history of 434 days. This record would eventually be broken by Brock Lesnar in 2018, but it was a fantastic achievement at a time when long title times were not the norm. Punk defended his title against an impressive list of opponents, while also joining new “lawyer” Paul Heyman until his title period ended in The Rock’s hands at the Royal Rumble in 2013.

A shot on the Undertaker’s streak

Narrowing down Punk’s career to 10 notable fights, moments or achievements means you skip a lot of great things. Punk’s race as leader of the Straight Edge Society or rivalry with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar could easily make such a list. Still, a shot at Undertaker’s streak was a huge deal for Punk, especially considering one of Punk’s biggest complaints about his time with the fact that he never got a chance to main event the biggest show on the wrestling calendar.

Punk and Undertaker delivered a classic of 29, putting by far the best match on the map. Punk did not get the honor of breaking Undertaker’s legendary undefeated streak - it would go to Lesnar the following year - but cemented his place in history, even without ever serving as the main event.

Back from retirement for AEW

All rumors and all the waiting time ended in August when Punk returned to Chicago. It took some time for him to deliver a classic promo and explained that in his mind he had retired from professional wrestling the day he left the Ring of Honor for and now returned to a place where he felt his passion would thrive. The old CM Punk magic was back and we’ll see what he still has in the ring at All Out on Sunday.