Just before All Out, CM Punk (Phil Brooks) spoke to Renee Paquette on Oral Sessions about fantasy matchups in AEW and how he has changed.
The former WWE Backstage colleagues sat down for a 45-minute discussion on the latest edition of Paquette’s podcast on The Volume network.
During the chat, Punk was asked about future opponents beyond Darby Allin and led to this exchange and Punk’s idea for a future tag match:
Punk: I want to wrestle Jon. I’ve never wrestled ‘Jon Moxley’ (distinguishing his current persona from Dean Ambrose, who he wrestled many times), you know what I mean? I want to wrestle The Young Bucks. I’ve got to find the right partner for that.
Renee: Who do you want to tag with?
Punk: If we’re fantasy booking…when does this come out?
Renee: Saturday
Punk: Saturday? Okay (laughs)
Renee: Are we just giving away spoilers here?
Punk: I don’t think it’s necessarily giving away spoilers, it’s just me putting my booker hat of all the possibilities, I would do CM Punk & The American Dragon versus The Young Bucks. It’s so obvious, that’s what you do. I want to do really crazy Trios matches – me, Darby (Allin) & Sting against The Lucha Bros. & Fuego del Sol, you know what I mean? Make it really weird, booking-generator of WCW Saturday Night when Scott Armstrong would tag with Silver King and you’d be like, ‘Fuck yeah’, alright let’s go.
The interview also focused on the changes between this version of CM Punk and the one that left WWE 7 ½ years ago when he considered himself “obsessed” with professional wrestling and was scared of the toll it was going to take on him during that period:
I think I’m a person that is grateful that I can get back to falling in love and enjoying professional wrestling but also knowing that I don’t need to be consumed by it and so obsessed to the point of self-destruction. Old Phil was just obsessed like I was obsessed with old-school wrestling and got to be tough, got to finish the match and gotta work hurt, gotta work sick and that’s just not conducive to a healthy – you. You know like mentally, physically. Like when April (AJ Lee) came into my life, I was like, ‘if I don’t stop, I’m going to mess this up, If I don’t stop, I’m going to die.’ I like me, I don’t want that to be me. I’d much rather be hated for having left than be loved for being dead.
CM Punk will have his first match with AEW against Darby Allin on Sunday night at All Out on pay-per-view. The full interview with Punk can be heard on the latest edition of Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette.
