The day that wrestling fans have waited seven long years for finally arrived on Friday night (August 20) as CM Punk returned to wrestling, debuting on AEW Rampage.
Punk, who walked away from WWE following the Royal Rumble 2014, made his debut for AEW in his hometown of Chicago in front of a sold out crowd at the United Center.
He entered to Living Colour's 'Cult of Personality,' the song he had become synonymous with in WWE.
Addressing the crowd over his long absence from the ring, Punk said: "I was never going to get healthy staying in the place that got me sick in the first place."
During the segment Punk called out Darby Allin who was seen standing in the rafters with Sting watching, challenging him to a match at All Out on September 5.
Last month Darby had made a veiled reference to Punk on Dynamite, saying: "I'll be in Chicago. You know, I've been around a lot of men in this world that have laid claim to how they're the greatest.
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"There's only one place to really prove that – right here in AEW. Even if you think you're the best… in the world."
Punk also announced that everyone in the crowd would get an ice cream bar, a reference to the unfulfilled promise of his infamous WWE pipebomb promo.
Since leaving WWE Punk has competed in the UFC and worked as an analyst on Fox show WWE Backstage.
He has also had film roles in Girl on the Third Floor and Jakob's Wife and can currently be seen on Starz series Heels.
Catch AEW Dynamite live every Thursday at 1am in the UK and Rampage every Saturday at 3am on FITE with an AEW Plus subscription. US customers can also watch both shows on TNT, and in the UK, Dynamite repeats air on ITV4.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.
Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.
You can read more of her work on her Substack page.
