5 dream matches for CM Punk outside of AEW
The fairytale return of CM Punk to professional wrestling with AEW is still very much in its honeymoon phase, with fans still trying to overcome the concept of his full-time presence in the ring after seven long years away.
Punk, since his return, has picked up wins against Darby Allin, Powerhouse Hobbs, Daniel Garcia and Matt Sydal as he continues to test himself back in the ring with some of the best prospects in the business.
Ain’t no punk in me. Run it. twitter.com/AEW/status/144…
When a wrestling icon leaves the business, it's natural for fans to fantasize over what could have been had they still been around, who and where they could wrestle. It's therefore only natural when the icon returns that fans build excitement around the matches that can finally be, the places they can finally wrestle, rivalries rekindled, and narratives followed up on.
There are still too many dream matches to count at present, with his return only scratching the surface, but there is also an untold amount of talent outside of AEW that would set the world alight opposite CM Punk.
#5 CM Punk vs Will Ospreay
What you saying… twitter.com/TheItsSamira/s…
Will Ospreay, like him or hate him, is an immensely talented wrestler. We have seen Ospreay evolve from the high-flying acrobatic style that saw his rise to fame, to a more considered and callous approach. His character has also gone through a significant evolution.
There is an argument to be made that Ospreay is the biggest non-Japanese in-ring talent outside AEW and WWE. NJPW have invested a lot of time into the 28 year old and have even coronated him as their IWGP World Heavyweight Champion earlier this year, where his recognized reign was cut short due to injury.
Ospreay is currently working on New Japan's US show NJPW Strong as the "real" IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and, as a result, can seamlessly cross boundaries to other promotions, much like his colleague Jay White has done with Impact Wrestling.
CM Punk has spoken about his interest in stepping into the ring with Will Ospreay prior to his return, and Ospreay's first press conference after winning the world title saw him call out the Straight Edge Superstar.
CM Punk could well make his NJPW debut against Ospreay for the unofficial IWGP World Heavyweight belt while they are both in the States, and considering Punk hasn't lost too much in-ring ability during his absence, both are capable of delivering on a match befitting the hype.