7 Things AEW subtly told us at ALL OUT: CM Punk to face a legend, Huge statement made towards WWE in the main event?
AEW ALL OUT is officially in the books. It was the biggest pay-per-view of the calendar year. Nearly every match on the card delivered in a big way, and it ended with not one, but two massive debuts.
AEW ALL OUT didn't have the strongest main event in recent history, but the company did enough to make a statement to the pro wrestling world. After AEW ALL OUT, the roster is now more stacked and loaded than ever.
As Jim Ross proclaimed by the end of the pay-per-view, "The game has changed" - and nothing he said recently rings more true than this. Here is the fallout of AEW ALL OUT and what lies ahead:
#7. CM Punk's ring rust shows at AEW ALL OUT and his next opponent is teased as well
CM Punk had the most highly-anticipated match at AEW ALL OUT. Although it was the antepenultimate match on the AEW ALL OUT card, it was the biggest draw of the pay-per-view.
How could it not be? CM Punk was all set to make his in-ring debut after over 7-and-a-half years away. Everything was perfectly set up, as was the build to the match. We got to see CM Punk hit the GTS earlier this week as well, giving us the first tease of action.
So when the moment came, how did it all play out? Everything about the set-up to the match was perfect. Darby Allin remained a popular and respectful babyface, and Sting kept his word and walked away as soon as Darby Allin made his way to the ring.
CM Punk received another great reception as usual, and it was no surprise that the crowd was fully behind him throughout the match. As for the match itself, CM Punk's ring rust was evident.
It was arguably the slowest match on the card, and maybe 16 minutes was a bit too long for CM Punk's in-ring return at AEW ALL OUT. However, thanks to Darby Allin's abilities and CM Punk's experience, the two men managed to have a good and entertaining match despite any ring rust.
Ultimately, CM Punk was always going to win, and that's what we saw at AEW ALL OUT. With that said, the key factor in this is that Darby Allin looked great in defeat. Sting came out to tease himself as CM Punk's future opponent.
Darby Allin and CM Punk shook hands before The Best In The World had a moment to himself.