AEW Criticized for Booking CM Punk Against Talents that Were Not Over with the Fans

Wrestling Veteran Konnan has expressed his disagreement with how AEW handled CM Punk’s debut in August 2021. Punk, who returned to the ring after a seven-year hiatus, was immediately put in a feud with Darby Allin, whom he defeated at All Out in his first match back.

Konnan recently stated on his K100 podcast that he thought AEW should have booked Punk against more established and popular stars instead of giving him young and relatively unknown talents. He said that Punk’s decision to work with these wrestlers did not benefit them or him, and that AEW should have done what the fans wanted instead of what Punk wanted.

“When he first came back, I was certain that place [Chicago] would melt and he’d pop a rating, which he did. Then, the problem was — and this was not Tony’s decision — he wanted to wrestle with these young talents. The problem is these talents weren’t over, and to this day, are still not over. In my mind, you [Tony Khan] don’t do what Punk wants, you do what the fans want. That was a mistake. They mishandled him coming back.”

Punk’s debut in AEW was one of the most anticipated and celebrated moments in wrestling history, as he received a thunderous ovation from his hometown crowd in Chicago and delivered an emotional promo.

However, some fans and pundits have also criticized Punk’s subsequent booking in AEW, as he announced his intention to go through a gauntlet of wrestlers to climb the now-defunct AEW Rankings. He faced the likes of Powerhouse Hobbs, Eddie Kingston, and Wardlow before entering into a heated rivalry with MJF, which ended in a brutal Dog Collar Match.

Punk’s last wrestled at AEW All Out where he defeated Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. Following the match, Punk made some controversial remarks against the Elite and Adam Page that resulted in a backstage altercation.

All parties were suspended and while the Elite returned to AEW programming, Punk hasn’t been seen on AEW television since the incident.

Do you agree with Konnan that AEW mishandled CM Punk’s debut and booking? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below.