CM Punk vs. Darby Allin (Punk’s first wrestling match in over seven years), from AEW All Out 2021

This was a thing of beauty. The story here consists of Punk trying to determine what he can still do and Allin trying to figure out what he can get away with against a living legend, and that goes a long way to adding urgency to what would otherwise be simple headlocks and rollups. Punks wants to return to his former glory and Allin wants his time in the spotlight, and that’s enough for a gripping encounter. This didn’t reinvent the wheel or have an astounding assortment of stunts, but this was all I wanted out of Punk’s return match.

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