CM Punk’s AEW debut sent shockwaves through the wrestling world two weeks ago, but the signing of the century wasn’t a done deal until about a half an hour before he stepped through the curtain. A new ESPN article details CM Punk’s negotiations with All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan’s several meetings with him, and how it all came together.
The article reveals that Tony Khan first met with Punk the day after Christmas in 2018, a month before AEW was officially announced to the world. Punk, however, was “pessimistic” at the time about coming back to the world he left under infamously bitter circumstances in 2014. After observing AEW’s slow and steady success, however, Punk came around to the idea more.
Perhaps most interestingly, the article states that Punk didn’t actually sign his AEW contract until 30 minutes before Rampage began.
Punk arrived early at the United Center and got a text from his lawyer while there. He told Punk that he should probably sign his AEW contract before appearing on television, so he did that about 30 minutes before the start of Rampage.
The article is worth a read, giving additional details like how the ice cream bar deal came together, and just how much the “Best in the World” ringer tee shattered the previous ProWrestlingTees record held by the original Bullet Club t-shirt. CM Punk has, by nearly every metric, moved the needle.
CM Punk will compete in his first wrestling match in over seven years this Sunday at AEW All Out, when he takes on Darby Allin on pay-per-view.
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