CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley Announced for AEW All Out 2022, Punk and Moxley Brawl on AEW Dynamite

CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley for the undisputed AEW World Championship was officially confirmed for the Sept. 4 All Out pay-per-view at the beginning of this week’s AEW Dynamite. Punk opened the show and immediately started throwing out verbal jabs, first by challenging Hangman Page to an impromptu rematch for the world championship (it was unclear if Page was even in the building). He then turned his attention to Moxley, saying he was the third-best guy in his own group once again (referencing The Blackpool Combat Club and The Shield). His promo eventually prompted Moxley to arrive. 

The two continued to take shots, with Moxley saying Punk is living in a fantasy world by claiming he’s the best wrestler in the world and that the only reason he joined AEW was that he ran out of money. Mox then said his interim championship means nothing and that every time he hears “interim” it makes him sick because it reminds him of Punk. The champ initially declined to fight Moxley by referencing their upcoming match, but then the two broke out into a pull-apart brawl.

Despite showing a pretty heelish attitude for the majority of his promo, Punk scoffed at the idea of turning heel while recovering from his recent foot injury. He explained to Screen Rant, “I think I have a currency with the audience just having been around for so long, coming from the Indies, going to the old WWF, and you know being around the block. Leaving, coming back after seven years, there’s a connection that I have. I don’t necessarily enjoy being a good guy. I feel like it’s hard work. It’s a lot easier to get people to dislike you. But I feel you’d be it would be wasteful to, as I said, just discard this currency that I have with the audience because it is, I feel, a special connection.

“You know, they’re chanting my name for seven years. I came back. They’re still stoked about it. So I feel like every time I’m in the ring is special to me and I don’t want to squander that, and I feel like it’s just a giant party with a bunch of your friends, you know? I just want to have a good time with them,” he continued. 

Update: Moxley and Punk brawled once again later in the episode, eventually resulting in the announcement that the unification match between the two would actually take place on next week’s AEW Dynamite in Cleveland.