By: Austin Gonzales
CHICAGO – Phillip Brooks, also known to many around the wrestling world as CM Punk, was unexpectedly fired the night before AEW All Out, nearly two years since Punk made a triumphant return to the ring in his hometown. Despite the event of the evening emanating from the United Center in CM Punk’s home in Chicago, the crowd truly did not care that they were missing out on the Second City Saint’s attendance.
Late in the summer of 2021, rumors of CM Punk making his debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at the United Center began to circulate online. Although no official announcement was ever made, the rumor alone drew a sold-out attendance in the venue and over 1.1 million people watching on television around the globe. CM Punk returned to thunderous fanfare among the arena and social media alike, for the most part.
What exactly makes this man such a television draw? CM Punk broke into mainstream stardom when signing with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2006. While developing his on-screen persona, the CM Punk character became an anti-authoritarian figure who would often take his frustrations to the microphone and rant against the backstage corporate regime. He often repeated a shared sentiment that many hardcore wrestling fans had for WWE at the height of its TV-PG family-oriented programming. CM Punk would eventually walk out of the company in early 2014.
After seven years, CM Punk returned to the ring for WWE’s new main competitor, All Elite Wrestling. Despite CM Punk being booked strongly on TV and winning the World Championship not long ago, the Windy City icon would find himself in real-life drama again. This time, not everything was off-camera, though.
During one of AEW’s weekly programs, CM Punk commented off-hand about his former on-screen rival, Adam Page. The comments at the time were odd as both characters were considered good guy baby faces and weren’t interconnected in any current storylines. Punk would continue to make off-handed comments towards not only Adam Page but Kenny Omega and tag team brothers Nick and Matt Jackson. In turn, the brothers and Omega went to confront Punk in the locker room, leading to an all-out backstage brawl that was highly publicized after the event. Everyone involved was briefly suspended. The final straw in the back was this past August when Punk got into another backstage altercation with fellow wrestler Jack Perry. Perry would call out to Punk live on TV for everyone to see, resulting in a confrontation after Perry’s FTW Heavyweight Title match.
After the brawl with Perry, AEW fired CM Punk, and to everyone’s surprise at home, Chicago did not care. The city that booed John Cena for him, sold out venues, and chanted his name for seven years straight had given up. The Second City Saint has lost Chicago.