Top AEW star seemingly references nixed CM Punk storyline following Full Gear 2023

The AEW departure of CM Punk left a lot of ideas on the table for some of its performers, with one of them seemingly referencing these scrapped plans after Full Gear 2023.

The performer in question is current AEW Tag Team Champion Ricky Starks, who looked poised to face Punk at the All Out pay-per-view in Chicago on September 3. However, The Straight Edge Superstar was fired the day before the event, and Starks faced Bryan Danielson in Strap Match instead.

Starks was asked about his rivalry with Bryan Danielson at the Full Gear post-show media scrum, where the current AEW Tag Team Champion not only stated that he had no expectations for the feud but that he had also 'been through a lot' over the summer, a subtle reference to the CM Punk feud.

"Those matches were very special to me, and I think you guys have seen me, this past summer, go through a lot of things that was out of my control. To me, see come out of it on that end with the Danielson match, that I had no expectations for, that I really didn’t know what I was getting into," said Starks. [H/T Rajah.com]

Starks added that he ended up crying on a plane due to the reception his initial match with Bryan got from the fans, claiming that he'd do it all over again regardless of how crazy that may sound.

"To come out of the other side of that and have the reception be what it was, where I’m on a flight and I’m crying because everyone was so...I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. That, what you saw, was as raw of a Ricky as you’re going to get in a match, especially with everything involved. That was as raw and as passionate and everything I could give. That match, actually, stands the test of time for me. It ranks very high for me personally. Crazy as it sounds, I’d do it again." [H/T Rajah.com]

Ricky Starks joined a very exclusive club when he beat CM Punk

While the feud between CM Punk and Ricky Starks was short-lived due to Punk's departure, it did give the current AEW Tag Team Champion an accolade that only two other performers can boast about.

Ricky Starks would defeat CM Punk in the final of the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, albeit with a bit of assistance from the ring ropes. This meant Starks was only the third man in AEW history to beat Punk in a one-on-one contest.

Starks would join an esteemed duo of current AEW World Champion MJF and former three-time AEW World Champion Jon Moxley as someone who was able to beat CM Punk in a singles match.

Did you enjoy CM Punk's feud with Ricky Starks? Let us know in the comments section below!