CM Punk garnered all the headlines on August 20 when he returned to wrestling and joined AEW.
Punk opened AEW Rampage The First Dance, announcing he was back and cutting a lengthy promo on his return and future.
Punk opened his promo by mentioned Britt Baker, which was something he didn't know he was going to say until the mic was in his hands.
"I didn't know I was going to name check her either," Punk told Stephen Amell when asked about mentioning Baker during an Instagram Live session. "I don't know if I've fully processed it. I've watched it back once. It gave me sweaty pits and made me nervous. I don't like watching myself. Honestly, got to be the top night of my career. Easily, hands down. What I really like about it is the fact that I am nervous and was nervous. The next thing is getting in the ring. I'm going to be a nervous wreck. I'm not going to be able to sleep all week, just like I was leading up to (the debut). Part of the fun is knowing this is going to be something special. We're going to give the fans something they want to see and I intend to do that again on September 5. It's so overwhelming that I'm having a hard time processing My hometown, sold out United Center on a rumor, ice cream bars. I'm back and it's exciting. To be nervous about that and to say thank you to the fans and give them some ice cream. New t-shirt, new me. Everything feels great."
Punk has often mentioned wanting to work with the young talent in AEW and will begin that journey at AEW All Out when he faces Darby Allin.
"Enough time has passed to where I'm almost out of the loop," he said. "I definitely know that there are people out there who are like, 'what is so special about this guy?' Trust me, I'm not the same CM Punk. I work for a new company now, there's no reason to have a chip on my shoulder, but it's still there. I'm still me. I see a lot of guys that have potential. Darby Allin, Will Hobbs, Ricky Starks, Brian Pillman Jr, Griff Garrison, Britt Baker. I'm not going to wrestle Britt Baker, but I might ask her about a couple of chipped teeth I got."
As the Instagram live began to wind down, Punk was plugging the various AEW shows when he mentioned that TNT sent him a nice care package.
"I love the people at TNT. They sent me a care package like, 'welcome to the family.' Charcoal soap to wash my sweaty pits. The entire thing is wild to me," he said.
Fightful Select reported on August 18 that TNT would have the "promotional machine behind Punk" upon his return.
During his plugs, Punk praised the action on AEW Rampage, but commented on the timeslot for the show by saying, "We do a one-hour show called Rampage and it's great. It's a rotten timeslot, Friday night, 10 pm ET, but it's one hour and you get to see the best action."
Punk is set to make his in-ring return this Sunday at AEW All Out when he faces Darby Allin.
You can check out the current lineup for AEW All Out by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
