Saturday night was probably one of the most anticipated premieres for a wrestling show in a very long time. The Show kicked off with Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” and not long afterwards we get “Cult of Personality” and whether you love him or hate him, CM Punk made his return to open up AEW Collision. AEW Collision was a solid show from beginning to end and I hope they keep producing shows like this on Saturday nights.
Punk hit the ring with a bag in tow and a pair of his shoes around his neck, took off the AEW part off the mic and talked to his hometown crowd. He starts off by saying he is “tired of being nice” and that he was out for 10 month where he tore the triceps tendon right off the bone. He says that it is the professional wrestling business, not a popularity contest. He wants to talk about the future but first wants to talk about his past which he doesn’t believe is checkered. He accentuates his points with “tell me when I’m telling lies.” He said that he is the truth and the truth is painful, which had the crowd bust out into a “Fuck Elite” chant. He proceeds to call out a few signs in the crowd, one says CM Punk is my hero another says Pepsi Phil while a third says CM Junk. He says they can call him that and proceeds to say “Boo me, cheer me, love me, hate me you all do it because you know I’m right.” He says they can call him whatever they want and that David Zaslav (the CEO of Warner Bros. Discover) calls him “One bill Phil that’s because I am the one genuine article in a business full of counterfeit Bucks.” A direct shot to the Young Bucks.
The promo went on for about 7 minutes or so and he had another zinger where he said that he has grown older and wiser and if you are here today and feel that you deserve an apology. He said to those people “I am sorry that the only people softer than you are the wrestlers you like.” He then picks up the bag and says it is the AEW Title and it is his because he earned it. It isn’t his because he had the best dog collar match it is his because he won the dog collar match. He mentions the boots and says he knows there are those that hoped he would put them in the ring and walk off into the sunset, he is sorry to disappoint but they are his until there is somebody in the company that can fill the boots they belong on his feet.
If he was anywhere else other than Chicago, this would have been a real heel promo. The crowd was into every word he said and it was to be expected for his return from a long hiatus. You can check out the full promo here:
His promo received a reply by the Young Bucks, which was to be expected by updating their Twitter bio with “If it were 2018, we’d already have a “Counterfeit Bucks” shirt available on PWT. Kill it y’all!”
CM Punk also received another curious response to his Collision promo, this one by Lance Archer. He said in reply to the soft wrestlers quote “I’m not. But he won’t fight me and #AEW won’t put me in the ring w him.” I mean no offense but when was the last time we saw Lance Archer in the ring?
I’m not. But he won’t fight me and #AEW won’t put me in the ring w him. https://t.co/4VyjBqmFIy
— The Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer (@LanceHoyt) June 18, 2023
So where do we go from here with that promo and the ripple effect. We can get a 3rd match with MJF for a title unification, but he was stripped of the belt so we need to see where they go with that story-line. It would be great to see a story where we get a trios match or series of trios matches with The Elite vs. CMFTR but based on news that was coming out that they won’t even talk to him to accept an apology and work things out, that seems less likely to happen. Time will tell where we go from here. Check out our new Counterfeit Bucks mug on our shop by clicking here.
What did you think about CM Punk returning and the AEW Collision episode? What did you think of the CM Punk promo? Would you buy a “Counterfeit Bucks” shirt? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or hit us up on our Twitter account. As always stay tuned to Culture Splat for more content coming your way!
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