“No matter who you are or where you are, instinct tells you to go home”
― Laura Marney, No Wonder I Take A Drink
The voiceless had been voicing for a forgotten hero to resurrect himself. But, for seven years, it went unanswered. On August 20, 2021, live on TNT, the whole landscape of wrestling shifted to a new tide.
The Prodigal Son Returns!
For all fans in attendance, the tension and pressure were palpable. As if they were reciting a ritual to summon back the dead, the total capacity of 23,500 people in the United Center continued to chant “CM PUNK”!
As a conch horn signaling the impending arrival of a hero, the ever-famous intro riff-scratch of “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour started playing.
Seven years’ worth of emotion poured out of every single fan in the arena in a jubilant and triumphant roar as the prodigal son, CM Punk, walked onto the ramp.
How do you make this even better?
How about having his comeback in the town he grew up in as a boy, where he learned to love the art of pro wrestling, the city that gave him some of his greatest wrestling moments.
Just adding all those factors results in with one of the most extraordinary crowd pops in pro-wrestling history.
A Preamble Pipebomb
August 20th, 2021… I’M BACK!
CM Punk on AEW Rampage via TNT
As CM Punk absorbed the love and adoration from the Chicago faithful, he went around and embraced some of the family friends and fans near the ring.
He grabbed his signature and iconic microphone, the one item that makes him invincible, and went to work.
“Let me just say, I understand if you all try to understand that I was never going to get healthy; physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, staying in the same place that got me sick in the first place,” exclaimed CM Punk.
A clear shot at his former bosses at World Wrestling Entertainment, CM Punk acknowledged that WWE killed his passion for the business, leading to his eventual departure and disavowal of any possible return to the industry.
“Can I tell you a story?” CM Punk asked.
Punk famously recapped the moment he indeed left the pro wrestling industry as he departed Ring of Honor. Then, he announced that on Aug. 20th, he was finally back in the world of pro wrestling.
The Cult Messiah’s Callout
As CM Punk finished recapping the story of his comeback journey and how it felt, he had business on his mind. He was back, and he was there to test the waters.
Excitement and hysteria rang through the arena as he voiced out Darby Allin’s name, and the camera shot zoomed in on Allin and his new mentor, Sting, as they spine-chillingly stared down CM Punk.
CM Punk told Allin that since the Sting protégé loved danger so much, there was nothing more dangerous in the world than wrestling Chick Magnet Punk in his hometown of Chicago. He said he would see him, his mentor Sting, and the hometown crowd on September 5th at AEW All Out, live on PPV.
Just before he left the ring, he issued a friendly reminder: “I’M BACK”.
CM Punk Return Confirmed!
As an homage to Oli Davis from WrestleTalk TV:
“CM PUNK RETURN CONFIRMED!”… can now officially be retired.
Probably the most significant pro wrestling moment of this decade, wrestling fans from all over the world should take joy in knowing that they witnessed wrestling history.
CM Punk was a disrespected, disowned man; and finally, he disputed the industry, promising that there was nothing left for him in the squared circle.
Yet, just like the infamous biblical parable of the prodigal son, CM Punk came back home.
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