"I was definitely afraid" - CM Punk on how he felt right before his in-ring return at AEW All Out

Punk certainly had the bit of the jitters when the big night arrived (Pic Source: AEW)

CM Punk's first opponent in AEW was Darby Allin at All Out, and during an appearance on Barstool Rasslin', Punk revealed that he was afraid heading into the bout.

At AEW All Out, Punk competed in his first match since he left WWE in 2014. The pressure of returning to action, combined with the weight of his debut match for AEW, was nerve-wracking for the fan-favorite star, as he described during the interview.

"I was definitely afraid, I would say," said CM Punk. "It surpassed nerves."

"There is very much a, 'Can I still do this?" Punk added. "'Golly Gee, Will they remember me?' You know, 'Can I keep up with the young whippersnappers?' But at the core of it, it's storytelling. And that is what I always excelled at anyway. You know? You're not going to see me do any springboard, you know, moonsaults and s**t like that. You know what you're going to get when you tune in for CM Punk."

CM Punk’s entrance tonight at AEW All Out. Absolutely electric. https://t.co/8WrHUzpLxv

Considering that this bout was Punk's first match in seven years, his feelings ahead of All Out seem quite understandable.

AEW has already sold a 100,000 CM Punk T-shirts

CM Punk jumping into the crowd will never get old 😂

(via @AEW) https://t.co/ycXQnuXcve

Many fans have celebrated Punk's return to wrestling, and no one is happier than Tony Khan. As a guest on Busted Open, the AEW general manager revealed that the company has already sold over 100,000 CM Punk T-shirts and ice cream bars in the aftermath of his return.

Khan also noted that the AEW newcomer has changed the game for the company, as he has brought new viewers to its line of programming, both on cable television and on pay-per-view.

CM Punk is not going away anytime soon, and given the buzz he has already generated for AEW, it will certainly be interesting to see where things go from here.

Please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use the quotes from this article.