CM Punk will return to the ring on Sunday for the first time since 2014 when he faces Darby Allin at AEW All Out.
Punk has spoken highly of the talent in AEW since his return, making sure to mention the mix of veterans and young talent that he would like to work with.
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Punk was about certain names he wants to step into the ring against.
"The lame answer is everybody," he said. "I've never worked with The Young Bucks or Kenny Omega. I've worked with Cody in 2009. Those are the guys I never mention when I'm doing media because I always feel the need to put the spotlight on other young guys; Darby Allin, Brian Pillman Jr, (Powerhouse) Hobbs, Ricky Starks. There are people that have potential and if you know anything about wrestling and watch the program, you see those guys and you go, 'that guy right there. That guy has something.' I love how they are rough around the edges and that's so great. It reminds me of watching an old wrestling studio show and not everything is super polished and an LED screen. These guys have different gear, different looks, personalities, they are all different. You can tell they come from different spots and have trained in different ways and have different styles. That's what 100% attracted me to the AEW locker room. Why wouldn't I want to wrestle these guys and go there? You talk about big money matches. There are way more in AEW than anywhere else for me."
In his return promo on the August 20 episode of AEW Rampage, Punk said he left pro wrestling when he left Ring of Honor in August 2005, but returned to pro wrestling in August 2021.
Punk said about his love of wrestling, "It's why I made a very important distinction in my first promo of, 'here's when I left pro wrestling' and now I'm back. There is a distinction. The other place will tell you, they'll beat you over the head with 'we're not pro wrestling.' Why do you want to go to bat for that company and say that it is? Some people just pick their weird hills to die on. I don't hate wrestling. I've never hated wrestling."
WWE has long coined the term "sports entertainment" as opposed to "pro wrestling."
You can view the current lineup for AEW All Out by clicking here.
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