In what is still being talked about as one of the best debuts for a company in wrestling history, CM Punk's first appearance with AEW almost went much differently than the fans witnessed. Saying that he and AEW were considering going a different direction than what they ultimately went with, Punk's debut nearly featured one of the biggest heels in the company.
Appearing on Z100 New York, Punk admitted that he actually considered having MJF swerve the audience after fans had firmly convinced themselves that Punk was making his debut. Punk and AEW were thrilled with the way his debut went off and don't think it could have gone better. They set it up to be the most obvious thing and worst kept secret, but as the host pointed out, it was enough to make fans second guess themselves. Punk realized that once fans started coming up with alternatives to him appearing, using someone like MJF during his debut wasn't the right way to go.
Punk noted that he'd considered letting MJF take advantage of the cheap heat that would come from interrupting his big moment and figured he should grab the low-hanging fruit. That is until everyone started to assume this was a logical way AEW might go. Once Punk realized it was becoming a popular option and wouldn't surprise anyone, it took away with heat that would have come from that and he changed his mind.
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Punk did tease the idea that this could be something AEW does in the future and that pulling that sort of stunt would work down the road.
MJF vs. Punk Feud Would Be Gold
Punk having a war of words on the mic with someone like MJF would be gold for AEW and easily one of their bigger more interesting rivalries. Whenever they choose to go there, the promos these two would cut on each other would be instant classics and a feud for the ages. Clearly, Punk wants to go there one day. It just sounds like he and AEW will wait a little while.
