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CM Punk's AEW debut was an unquestionably legendary moment in professional wrestling history. Everything about the scene was surreal from the molten hot crowd to his emotional reaction and his heartfelt speech. The latter seemed to allude to what would come from his time with All Elite Wrestling.
Not only will Punk compete with the young talent, but he said he had some old scores to settle.
There are various AEW stars that have a past with CM Punk. From his time on the independent scene to WWE, many competitors in the promotion have shared the ring as opponents or partners with the former WWE Champion.
Whether the past issues were about the business or personal, there is plenty of potential for what is to transpire after Punk's transformative debut.
With CM Punk's Dynamite debut and his All Out showdown with Darby Allin on the horizon, it will be quite intriguing to see what the future holds. In this article, let's take a look at the five AEW stars that CM Punk has history with and an old score to settle with.
#5. Christian Cage - AEW
During his WWE career, CM Punk had quite a few legends that he faced and had major matches with. Despite spending several years in the company together, Christian Cage didn't have many matches against the Voice of the Voiceless. The two men have faced each other on SmackDown twice and once on Raw, with Punk coming out on top each time.
Their last meeting with each other on Raw in 2012 led to Christian being taken out of action with an injury and missing WrestleMania 28. This can be a catalyst for a reigniting of animosity with CM Punk. Christian Cage is coming off the heels of the biggest win of his time at AEW, defeating Kenny Omega to win the IMPACT World Championship on the debut episode of Rampage.
Another issue might be Christian having some jealousy towards CM Punk for his introduction to All Elite Wrestling. Ahead of AEW Revolution, the company hyped Christian Cage as the biggest signing in the promotion's history. This led to many fans feeling underwhelmed when it was revealed as the former WWE superstar.
However, AEW did a much better job of teasing without overhyping for CM Punk's debut. Christian Cage may feel that Punk has taken the attention off of him and become the biggest signing in company history. This point of contention will lead to some compelling promos and a high profile matchup.
#4. Cody Rhodes - AEW
As revealed during the post-show scrum for AEW Rampage - The First Dance, CM Punk has been in talks with Tony Khan for almost two years about coming into the promotion. Cody Rhodes has been asked in the past about CM Punk and the two men have had different responses to this. This led to many fans believing that there might be conflicting opinions between the former WWE superstars.
During the early portion of their time in WWE, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have mixed it up. Dating even back to their time in developmental for OVW, the two men had been on the opposite side of the squared circle from each other. On the main roster, CM Punk teamed with Kofi Kingston to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase to win his first WWE Tag Team Championships.
Cody Rhodes isn't the same man that CM Punk faced in WWE though. Since leaving the company, Cody has been one of the hottest professional wrestlers in the world. He has fought against the best in the world and won championships on the independent scene and NJPW. At AEW, Rhodes was the first TNT Champion and a top star for the promotion.
Punk and Rhodes have never had a major encounter on pay-per-view or television during their time in WWE. This gives AEW the opportunity to present them at the height of their popularity and produce a memorable battle between the two megastars in the industry.
#3. Chris Jericho - AEW
Prior to CM Punk's signing with AEW, Chris Jericho was undeniably their biggest acquisition. The former WWE Undisputed Champion is a bonafide legend in the industry. Jericho has won gold in every major promotion that he has been apart of. His signing really shifted the way the company as a whole was viewed, with other major stars making the jump following Jericho's lead.
One of Punk's greatest rivals in WWE has to be Chris Jericho. The two men battled for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 28. Despite being for the richest prize in the company, this was a deeply personal rivalry as well, with Jericho tapping into CM Punk's past to play mind games with the Straight Edge Superstar.
The two men had also traded barbs on social media prior to CM Punk's AEW debut. Last year, The Inner Circle leader got a substantial amount of heat for backing former United States President Donald Trump. His social media began to become a point of contention for many wrestling fans and even Punk, it seemed.
CM Punk made fun of one of Jericho's tweets, saying he wasn't a political person before commenting on politics. This brings an even more personal edge to what would become a huge feud for AEW. Chris Jericho has helped a lot of upcoming stars in the promotion, but he is due for a headline rivalry and CM Punk will fit the bill.
#2. Colt Cabana - AEW
When speaking of personal rivalries, there isn't another AEW star with more issues with CM Punk than his former best friend Colt Cabana. The two men grew up in the wrestling business with one another, training together and starting on the Chicago independent scene before heading around the world. They also made one of the most popular tag teams in the indies as the Second City Saints.
CM Punk mentioned his final match in professional wrestling on August 13th, 2005 before signing with WWE during his AEW debut. That famous contest in Chicago was against none other than Colt Cabana. Their friendship was even brought up during Punk's notorious "Pipebomb" promo in 2011. However, the past few years have changed the dynamics of their relationship.
Following his controversial departure from WWE, CM Punk had a scathing interview on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast where he addressed all of his issues with the company. In particular, he alleged that WWE's doctor, Dr. Chris Amann, misdiagnosed his staph infection. The interview resulted in WWE and the doctor suing CM Punk and Colt Cabana for the allegations.
CM Punk won the lawsuit, but it was at a cost of his friendship with Colt Cabana. The two men filed lawsuits against one another, with the Dark Order member claiming he and Punk had a verbal agreement for Punk to pay his legal fees. Punk fired back to claim that his friend was trying to extort him. They eventually settled their suits, but it seems like they hadn't talked before Punk's AEW debut.
With CM Punk's arrival in AEW, many fans and pundits have wondered how the two men would work with one another. This personal issue was extremely serious and might still carry ill feelings between the two. However, it would make for a personal rivalry that fans would be engaged in due to real life spilling over.
#1. Jon Moxley - AEW
Fans have been speculating who CM Punk would have as his first feud with AEW. Despite Darby Allin's initial tease challenging "The Best In The World" to come to the promotion, there have been those who believed it was a red herring and someone else would step up to face the former WWE Champion.
Jon Moxley cut a fantastic promo on the August 18th episode of AEW Dynamite where he alluded to many current and future stars. The former AEW World Champion called out Kenny Omega for using The Elite to hold his title, Hangman Page for letting his drama with the Elite stop him from his goals and Christian Cage for not facing him.
However, Moxley also called out those thinking of coming to AEW. The Purveyor of Violence said that he was the man who put his flag in the ground and carried the AEW World Championship on his back for almost a year. This led to many fans believing that this was a shot at CM Punk.
In the post-show scrum following AEW Rampage - The First Dance, CM Punk says he has never faced Jon Moxley before, but he has fought Dean Ambrose. The former Shield member faced Punk in a series of television and house show matches in 2013 that showcased Moxley as a future main eventer for WWE.
The two men have significant parallels in their careers and how they have viewed the business. Both Moxley and Punk left WWE and described it as a prison where they weren't always viewed as the top stars that they worked hard to be. However, Moxley left the company and helped to establish AEW as a competitor to Vince McMahon's promotion.
Jon Moxley could look at CM Punk as a quitter for choosing to leave WWE and the business as a whole. The former IWGP United States Champion might feel like if it wasn't for his hard work that Punk's return to wrestling wouldn't even be possible. However, CM Punk has grounds to turn that back on him. He was famously known for coming up with the idea of the Shield, which brought Moxley to superstardom.
More than anything, CM Punk and Jon Moxley are two of the best promo guys in wrestling over the past two decades. They elicit reactions in their outstanding way with words and know how to draw anticipation for huge showdowns like their matchup would be. Their clash would also be a headline bout on any AEW card.
From electric promo exchanges to tremendous in-ring classics, there is a great deal of potential in a Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk main event. Whether it be babyface vs. babyface or one man turning heel, this is one that would be a must see. That's why Jon Moxley is the biggest AEW star that CM Punk has history with and an old score to settle.
