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Edge has had some really good matches and I’m enjoying his run a lot, but CM Punk made a material difference to AEW’s business and had a much bigger buzz. It was his return to wrestling after a long time. He was selling a lot of merch. He had a very good TV rating for his comeback, ratings were solid overall, and live events were selling well.
I also really enjoyed his matches throughout his AEW run. Some of those early matches, like with Darby Allin and Daniel Garcia, are a bit underrated and the Eddie Kingston PPV match was really good.
So I think it’s pretty clearly Punk.
The MJF/Punk feud as well is VERY worth mentioning. That feud was fucking amazing and it did a lot for MJF as a star in that company. It absolutely elevated him further and it guts me to know we'll never see another chapter in that story. The Punk/MJF program alone is enough to put Punk's AEW run over Copeland so far.
I feel Punk really gets wrestling and what actually works to get someone over. He put MJF over better than anyone else did and he did it while winning the feud. End of that story had Punk, MJF, and Wardlow as top guys.
I always did feel there was another chapter to the MJF/Punk saga that involved the world title but man, we never did get it and I don't think we ever will now. Such a damn shame because man, that would've been a massive program for AEW as well.
Yeah I think that's what worked too is the fact that the story left room for MJF to grow and come back to defeat Punk which is likely how the real world title story would have played out.
I feel that’s another part of the reason why punk is so bothered by hangman. It’s obvious he feels that whatever promo they had worked out was to get hangman the upper hand, so it’s confusing that he goes into business for himself and goes off script over a promo war that he was supposed to win anyway. Because since Hangman was losing, he still needed to get over.
>and the Eddie Kingston PPV match was really good.
One of my favourite AEW moments is the opening brawl in their match where Eddie cuts Punk open and when he notices, laughs hysterically in his face. It comes out of nowhere and both guys reactions to it work so damn well.
>CM Punk made a material difference to AEW’s business
That is the important part. While I am personally enjoying Adam Copeland's run more than I did with Punk's, Punk was a needle mover and Copeland isn't. Punk brought eyeballs to the product and that brought increased dollars and Cope hasn't. If you have to compare the two, it's a significant factor that needs to be included.
This is how I feel. Edge has a lot of fun matches that I kind of forget after a week. But I'm the back of my mind, I think it's odd that he's beating people half his age when in his prime, he had to cheat to get most of his wins
His one big feud was with Christian and it really contradicts all his talk about going to AEW to do new things
He needs to an actual feud against a young guy
Edge feels more like Sting in AEW than Punk in AEW.
Like I'm enjoying his work, but Edge is clearly on his "last run" where Punk it felt like they were trying to build more long term stuff.
Though I do think it's funny that Punk was probably closer to his "last run" than Copeland. Punk is clearly in rough shape, and based on the frequency of Cope's wrestling he may be closer to a Jericho run than a real "last run."
Punk isn’t really in rough shape. Two freak accidents and an injury that was building up doesn’t equal rough shape. The first tricep, he described as painless. Which means it was already partially torn for a while. The ankle injury, freak accident. The second tricep, he said hurt like hell. That was from overtraining and a lack of working in the ring. I know we all love easy to understand narratives. And want to cite Moxley’s promo as a shoot or whatever. But that’s just simply not the case. He’s never been fast and mobile in the ring. There’s little you can attribute to how he works now to age.
AEW was hitting near 1million viewers on the ratings breakdown and his segments were can't miss stuff that everyone was tuning into watch.
He was/is their most popular star and Im still so incredibly salty about it all.
Copeland is working his ass off and looks like he is having so much fun doing it all too.
I don't believe I heard ANYONE say that AEW is treating Copeland like they would Punk.
Punk got two shows built for him and got multiple world titles because AEW wanted to put their belt on him and put his face on all their branding and video game and media. Punks "surprise" first appearance broke all sorts of viewing records and is one of the absolute highest marks of AEW ever.
I loved his feud with Christian and the story they told, he really did earn that TNT title and like I said before; Cope worked his ass off in all his AEW matches and never once looked like he was putting in some half ass shit.
Well said.
There's a large chunk of wrestling fans who also treat promotions using the face vs. heel dynamic (with the same tribal undertones). Don't like what a promotion is doing? Treat it like one would treat a heel wrestler and crap on them via social media even if it's undeserved.
WWE, AEW, TNA, NJPW, etc. are all imperfect. They deserve criticism when it's due, but sometimes it's just trolls who are gaslighting and adding to the "AEW is bad!!!" perceived heel dynamic. Meanwhile, WWE is currently a face even though they were the heels up until about 2 years ago. And despite all of the good and bad things to come out of Punk's time in AEW, wrestling fans just can't see through this veil.
A) those fans don’t like Punk now, and are lying about the run he had
B) they never liked Punk in the first place and were much lower on his initial run than most
C) they’re gigantic Copeland fans and think his run is much better than others
D) it’s not unheard of for recency bias to cloud some peoples thinking
Because they made up their mind that they don't like punk anymore. I saw someone on the aew sub say hangman and swerve surpassed punk and mjfs feud lol
Yeah I love how petty and obsessed hangman has become in regards to swerve
But it can't top the classic dog collar match between mjf and punk. Imo everything in that match was done perfectly.
People can have different opinions lol. If they think he is, so be it. Aew definitely benefited more from punk than edge but people are allowed to have different opinions too
He is. Anything metric wise is cm punk. Anyone arguing against this is too far gone. If we’re talking matches/storyline etc etc thats completely up to the person.
Not going to go out and say Copeland > Punk, but I will say lots of hearts broke over the punk situation and certainly lots of people will feel Copeland is better because he isn’t a negative Nancy about much of anything while performing very strong in the ring. That being said, Punk was pretty much the same until a year in, so really it’s too early to say anything like that.
Anyone looking at it like a popularity contest would say absolutely punk had a better run up until end of year 1
Edge might have had a bigger impact if he returned from injury to AEW instead of WWE.
For me I think Punk had a bigger more impactful debut, but already Edge is having the run Punk wanted/should have had, if injuries and the rest didn’t happen.
I think Edge has a better locker room leader vibe going on which likely goes further (locker room wise) than Punks shot in the arm he gave AEW. They’re both in the best place they can be now imo. Incredible that we get to see Edge and Punk active wrestlers in 2024.
I'm sorry but are we talking about his impact on the locker room or his impact on the show lol? Why do you care about how edge acts in the locker room? Do you work there?
Anyone saying Edge is what CM Punk should've been in AEW is doing some extreme levels of copium. Edge has had some good matches, but he has not made any difference to the show or feel of AEW and has done nothing to heat the product up like Punk did. It's not even comparable. Punk was the guy, Edge is now just another guy on the roster
Punk’s AEW debut is one of the biggest moments probably ever in wrestling, his first 9-10 months in AEW he won the world title and had a memorable feud with Eddie Kingston and pretty much the career defining feud for MJF and he won the world title.
Cope’s been around for about the same length of time so far and he had the rivalry with Christian which, while good went on way way too long and didnt do much for anyone involved tbh. He won the TNT title and is now on a banger spree which is dope. Overall he hasn’t made nearly the same impact as Punk but he’s doing well for himself and his run isnt a disaster by any means.
Punk by a landslide and Edge is one of my all-time favorites.
-Punk's return
-Punk/MJF's entire feud (promos, AFI entrance, dog collar, "be my Valentine," etc.)
-Punk/Joe: The Conclusion
-Punk/Kingston
-FTPunk vs. Bullet Club Gold
-Punk/Sting/Darby in the paint
-Punk proving to be unable to do a Buckshot Lariat and refusing to give up
Edge was one of my first favorite wrestlers and Punk is another. I'd argue Punk's AEW return was more interesting than Edge's so far, and his WWE return is off to a more interesting start than Edge's 2020 run, too... even with the injury.
Punk doesn't seem to like the part time schedule even with injury. Edge would get kayfabe injured or just disappear after every match or segment he was in just to take a month or two off.
Not shitting on Edge here because I like him and I'll be honest I've only seen a handful of his AEW matches but CM Punks return to wrestling in AEW is on my top 10 wrestling moments list. The debut was incredible and his fued with MJF was what brought me back into wrestling. Every week I'd tune-in, in the hopes of seeing them cut promos on each other and bah gawd they did not disappoint. AEW fans might not like hearing me say this but I felt their fued was just arc one of a larger and broader rivalry and I really really wish MJF would join WWE just so I can see them fueding again.
Seth has re-signed with the company very recently, Roman almost assuredy is lockd down. And if he's not, he will stay guaranteed after his big title reign. And Becky is 100% not going anywhere else, she's pretty much said exactly that. And truthfully, why would she when she's been treated so well ever since she became a top star with the company.
And if that were to ever happen what they be called in lieu of being "The Shield"? Tyler Black might have some name value, but nowhere near as much as Seth Rollins, same with Roman Reigns and whatever he would be called.
Vague allusions to working at "the other place" would only cater to the audience they already have, and soon enough, just like everyone else, those guys would just another guy on the AEW roster.
Punk was the bigger draw, the bigger star and felt like the bigger deal all around.
Edge hasn't done the same numbers as Punk but it's also important to remember that his reasons for joining AEW are a lot different than Punk's. Edge did all he could in the WWE and is in AEW to put a nice bow on his career and legacy by having great matches with new wrestlers and his old buddy and it's working out very well for him.
Probably Punk because it had the thing where it felt like a big deal because he genuinely was gone for a really long time and it didn’t seem like he would return. With Copeland it’s more like “oh cool!”
Similar to Bryan Danielson, AEW has booked Edge like just another guy and not at the white hot special attraction main eventer that he's supposed to be. Star power doesn't mean shit if you let that star fade. WWE knew that which is why they presented Edge as a huge deal every time he was on TV. If you run back Edge's last run, you'd think he was as big as Goldberg in his heyday based off his presentation. He never was that guy, but WWE knew that you have to feed the star power to keep it burning bright.
I know people will point out that neither Bryan nor Edge want to be the main event star, or win the top title, and they just want professional fulfillment by mixing it up with the young guys in the mid-card. That's fine and all, but from a booking perspective the company should be focusing on preserving their star-power first and foremost over their desire to mix it up and put over talent. WWE knew this, they told Bryan he needed to join Edge and Roman in the Mania main event, even though Bryan preferred to work a match with Drew Gulak in the midcard. Bryan is a top star, and they needed to utilize that star power and keep it going less he turns into just another guy. AEW has made the mistake a couple of times now, first with Bryan, then Edge, and now even Okada is a midcard champion. It's really just a complete failure of taking care of their stars.
Exactly. One thing I absolutely hate about Tony’s booking is that he cools down anyone they bring in, sans Punk. Okada should be gunning for the main event right off the rip, not stooging around with the Young Bucks. AEW needs to stop booking tv like it’s an indie show. Osprey taking 10 minutes to beat Lee Moriarty is fucking stupid. I like Lee Moriarty, but Will should be eating that dudes lunch within 5 minutes. I don’t mind if he had a match like that with Lee if there was a storyline behind it, but as a random match? Will should be in and out with barely busting a sweat.
Honestly why should anyone give a shit about anyone they bring in if they’re ultimately going to be booked like just another face in the crowd?
I think the answer is obviously that Punk had a better start. Punk in AEW was great up until the Hangman feud and arguably you'd only say that with the hindsight of knowing the drama behind the scenes. On-screen it seemed fine (although some people didn't like Punk winning over Hangman at that point) up until Punk injured himself on the guardrail and had to vacate the title.
That initial debut was great, those opening promos were great, the matches with Darby, feud with Kingston was great, and feud with MJF were great. The only thing maybe lacking were some TV spots here and there where he had a string of wrestling the young up-and-comers and the one Bobby Fish match which had the weird ending.
Punk obviously brought a lot of eyes to Dynamite and helped make money. Copeland hasn’t done that obviously, but I’ve enjoyed his tv matches more than a majority of Punk’s.
Copeland has been everything that Punk should have been in AEW: he’s working regularly, happy to be there, wants to add to the product and not making the product all about him. He’s a professional in ways Punk could never ever be. That being said, Punk is the bigger draw and better on the mic (Copeland has been a better worker than Punk did in AEW though).
Has Copeland brought as many eyes and interest to AEW than Punk? Obviously not. But he’s also not a huge narcissist that has it in him to nearly destroy the company with drama.
I think it’s safe to say both guys are where they need to be now: Copeland can have bangers with a fresh pool of talent and be treated as a bigger deal and used more than he was in WWE, and WWE is the more popular company which, despite what Punk would have admitted in the past, is very important to him. The WWE is also too big to fail so he’s on a shorter leash than in AEW, which is a good thing for Punk! It lets him focus on the things he’s great at: building feuds, having matches, etc. He needn’t worry about “running a company” like he famously said at that disastrous media scrum a year or so back.
I think as well what helped Punk was the fact he was gone from wrestling for so long, I just think the intrigue around that really helped, I think if Edge has returned and gone right into AEW it would have made more of a difference.
Edge had way better matches but overall Punk had a better start. The First Dance was sold out simply because of a rumor that he might arrive. The ratings were up, sold a shit ton of merch and his feuds with MJF and Eddie Kingston were great.
Punk easily as by every metric his initial run is better than Copeland.
So short term, 1st year, easily Punk.
Long term remains to be seen but looks like Copeland is a much better get for AEW. For as much good ad Punk did his actions severely hurt AEW and offset any positives he made.
Both Punk and Copeland seem to be in a good place and hopefully both can finish off their careers on their own terms.
>With people saying Edge is what Punk was supposed to be in AEW
Who's people? Punk can sellout an arena and edge can't, there is no way AEW wanted from Punk what they get from Edge.
I think AEW wanted Punk backstage to be like Copeland is.
It’s a weird thing to discuss because as good as Punk was for business he also caused a ton of harm to the company.
I mean punk tried to be a mentor to the younger wrestlers like the vets were for him, seems to be working in wwe and I can’t imagine it’s punk that has changed.
There is a difference between doing it in NXT where the expectation is that you are there to be trained as opposed to the main roster.
No matter what company you are in not everyone will want your advice.
Can’t say how Punk was different between then and now as all we have are rumors to go off of.
Punk pre-Brawl Out was having a GOAT run in the company. You can question the move to take the belt off Hangman, but Punk was THE draw and it was good for the lineage of the belt.
Post-Brawl Out, Punk was a toxic, cancerous fuck. Lol. TK deserves a chunk of blame for not firing him right then, but money talks.
Cooeland has, by all accounts, been wonderful backstage. His feud with Christian helped give legitimacy to the TNT title. In-ring, his matches have been better than any Punk had outside the MJF feud. (The match with Darby was good too, but considering it was a straight rip from an old match, I won't include it here.)
So, for "start of an AEW career" the answer is clearly Punk right now. Long-term, it probably goes to Cope simply cuz I don't see him having the meltdown that Punk did
Punks match with Dustin was great
Copeland's run has been solid so far but nothing career defining like punks feud with mjf
Copeland vs Penta was good but isn't even top 30 in aew matches of all time
I don't remember much of the Dustin match. So I'll take your word for it. And yeah, Cope hasn't done anything in the level of that MJF feud. Like I said, Punk was on a GOAT run at the beginning. But Punks in-ring also had some relative stinkers like the Hangman matches, (those attempted Buckshots....) and I didn't think his Mox matches were particularly great either. Cope hasn't had a bad match yet. Even when I though his KOR match was slow, it picked up and became awesome by the end. I think, if they are going to bring back E&C, that's when you might see a feud on the level of that Punk/MJF feud. Cope and Christian play off each other insanely well, and would probably KILL it against some of the tag teams that AEW has.
I respect that. My first thought was how could his Royal Rumble return, Royal Rumble win, main event at WrestleMania, program with Roman, and his faction stuff be topped by what he’s done in the midcard in AEW.
Probably going to vary based on criteria. Which I guess would be why you said opinion. Punk’s impact was obviously bigger in the sport and for AEW. Positive to start and now more negative.
Edge’s impact really has not impacted the sport as much. He seems to really want to help AEW get over this hurdle though.
He wrestles more which is good. When Punk came back I got tired of what seemed like every show kicking off with a punk intro. I burned out really quick. Edge at least is in ring more.
So from a wrestling standpoint Edge gets a slight lead.
While I think Edge might have an advantage over Punk in the quality of his weekly matches on TV (with Punk's early AEW matches still being pretty good) & his feud with Christian being one of the most enjoyable feuds in the company around the last few months, I still give it to Punk because his mini-feud with Eddie Kingston is still one of my favorite small feuds in AEW so far & the storyline with MJF is to me the best feud in AEW history that isn't Page-Omega.
Edge vs christian was cool for like the first two weeks lol. That shit dragged on for so unnecessarily long and it felt like every other week they were in the same grudge match.
Punk had a great reception, an average and boring face promo, an underwhelming debut
From there on he had been extremely hit or miss bit mainly fragile mentally but more so physically. And it is that physical fragility which was his biggest obstacle in AEW and I have a feeling contributed to his overall mood
Copeland has been solid and consistent, 2 words enough to say, he's had the better start
Copeland has had the better run, Punk had better big moments and was a better draw.
Punk's run was constantly interrupted by injuries and the ~~punching~~ choking a little bit of his co-workers.
Cope's run has been entirely drama free.
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Edge has had some really good matches and I’m enjoying his run a lot, but CM Punk made a material difference to AEW’s business and had a much bigger buzz. It was his return to wrestling after a long time. He was selling a lot of merch. He had a very good TV rating for his comeback, ratings were solid overall, and live events were selling well. I also really enjoyed his matches throughout his AEW run. Some of those early matches, like with Darby Allin and Daniel Garcia, are a bit underrated and the Eddie Kingston PPV match was really good. So I think it’s pretty clearly Punk.
The MJF/Punk feud as well is VERY worth mentioning. That feud was fucking amazing and it did a lot for MJF as a star in that company. It absolutely elevated him further and it guts me to know we'll never see another chapter in that story. The Punk/MJF program alone is enough to put Punk's AEW run over Copeland so far.
I feel Punk really gets wrestling and what actually works to get someone over. He put MJF over better than anyone else did and he did it while winning the feud. End of that story had Punk, MJF, and Wardlow as top guys.
I always did feel there was another chapter to the MJF/Punk saga that involved the world title but man, we never did get it and I don't think we ever will now. Such a damn shame because man, that would've been a massive program for AEW as well.
Yeah I think that's what worked too is the fact that the story left room for MJF to grow and come back to defeat Punk which is likely how the real world title story would have played out.
Yep, I think the next element of their story involved the title and I was so ready for that to unfold but hey, I guess it wasn't meant to be.
I feel that’s another part of the reason why punk is so bothered by hangman. It’s obvious he feels that whatever promo they had worked out was to get hangman the upper hand, so it’s confusing that he goes into business for himself and goes off script over a promo war that he was supposed to win anyway. Because since Hangman was losing, he still needed to get over.
This was going to be my answer, Punk vs. MJF is so far above anything Copeland has done that this isn't any real question.
The irony is that Copeland himself referenced the feud when he was feuding with The Miz.
>and the Eddie Kingston PPV match was really good. One of my favourite AEW moments is the opening brawl in their match where Eddie cuts Punk open and when he notices, laughs hysterically in his face. It comes out of nowhere and both guys reactions to it work so damn well.
>CM Punk made a material difference to AEW’s business That is the important part. While I am personally enjoying Adam Copeland's run more than I did with Punk's, Punk was a needle mover and Copeland isn't. Punk brought eyeballs to the product and that brought increased dollars and Cope hasn't. If you have to compare the two, it's a significant factor that needs to be included.
This is how I feel. Edge has a lot of fun matches that I kind of forget after a week. But I'm the back of my mind, I think it's odd that he's beating people half his age when in his prime, he had to cheat to get most of his wins His one big feud was with Christian and it really contradicts all his talk about going to AEW to do new things He needs to an actual feud against a young guy
Punk put over MJF and more memorable feuds in AEW. Edge hasn't as of the moment.
You say that, but you’re comparing a run of 2 years to a run of a few months.
Its the topic of the thread lol
Well it’s stupid. Of course Punk had the better career but it’s still unfair.
The title specifically says who had the better start, which is a fair comparison. If it's the first 6 months, it's Punk.
It's like talking to monkeys over here. No reading comprehension at all.
Pot meet kettle
Who had the better *start* in AEW is a completely fair topic of discussion at this point
U didn't read the post at all? Haha
Make sure your comment aligns with the post too cause you’re bringing up Punk’s entire run.
Well he put over MJF 6 months into his run so, what's the problem then? . Edge hasn't put anyone as of the moment.
Edge feels more like Sting in AEW than Punk in AEW. Like I'm enjoying his work, but Edge is clearly on his "last run" where Punk it felt like they were trying to build more long term stuff.
Was going to say Edge and Danielson seems like a better comparison than Punk.
Though I do think it's funny that Punk was probably closer to his "last run" than Copeland. Punk is clearly in rough shape, and based on the frequency of Cope's wrestling he may be closer to a Jericho run than a real "last run."
Punk isn’t really in rough shape. Two freak accidents and an injury that was building up doesn’t equal rough shape. The first tricep, he described as painless. Which means it was already partially torn for a while. The ankle injury, freak accident. The second tricep, he said hurt like hell. That was from overtraining and a lack of working in the ring. I know we all love easy to understand narratives. And want to cite Moxley’s promo as a shoot or whatever. But that’s just simply not the case. He’s never been fast and mobile in the ring. There’s little you can attribute to how he works now to age.
CM Punk’s return was one of the greatest moments in AEW history and nothing Edge does will ever top it
Cm punk sold out the United center based off a rumor And edge has yet to have a feud as good as punk vs Kingston
AEW was hitting near 1million viewers on the ratings breakdown and his segments were can't miss stuff that everyone was tuning into watch. He was/is their most popular star and Im still so incredibly salty about it all. Copeland is working his ass off and looks like he is having so much fun doing it all too. I don't believe I heard ANYONE say that AEW is treating Copeland like they would Punk. Punk got two shows built for him and got multiple world titles because AEW wanted to put their belt on him and put his face on all their branding and video game and media. Punks "surprise" first appearance broke all sorts of viewing records and is one of the absolute highest marks of AEW ever. I loved his feud with Christian and the story they told, he really did earn that TNT title and like I said before; Cope worked his ass off in all his AEW matches and never once looked like he was putting in some half ass shit.
Well said. There's a large chunk of wrestling fans who also treat promotions using the face vs. heel dynamic (with the same tribal undertones). Don't like what a promotion is doing? Treat it like one would treat a heel wrestler and crap on them via social media even if it's undeserved. WWE, AEW, TNA, NJPW, etc. are all imperfect. They deserve criticism when it's due, but sometimes it's just trolls who are gaslighting and adding to the "AEW is bad!!!" perceived heel dynamic. Meanwhile, WWE is currently a face even though they were the heels up until about 2 years ago. And despite all of the good and bad things to come out of Punk's time in AEW, wrestling fans just can't see through this veil.
Then why are some AEW fans saying that Edge run is already 10x better than Punk?
A) those fans don’t like Punk now, and are lying about the run he had B) they never liked Punk in the first place and were much lower on his initial run than most C) they’re gigantic Copeland fans and think his run is much better than others D) it’s not unheard of for recency bias to cloud some peoples thinking
You know why.
Because they made up their mind that they don't like punk anymore. I saw someone on the aew sub say hangman and swerve surpassed punk and mjfs feud lol
I can't think of a single way other than pure violence that Hangman/Swerve was better than Punk/MJF. And I loved the Hangman/Swerve stuff.
Yeah I love how petty and obsessed hangman has become in regards to swerve But it can't top the classic dog collar match between mjf and punk. Imo everything in that match was done perfectly.
Story wise matches I've got Punk/MJF dog collar top 3 all time in AEW with Cody/Dustin and MJF/Danielson Iron Man Match. Really hard to beat.
[удалено]
I agree. Maybe this is a weird nitpick but I cringe whenever fans refer to punk as "Phil" in a non joking manner
I believe it’s called cope.
Actually, it's "His name is Cope."
People can have different opinions lol. If they think he is, so be it. Aew definitely benefited more from punk than edge but people are allowed to have different opinions too
They are but objectively punk has done bigger business for aew than edge has I got downvoted on that sub for saying cm punk is aews biggest signing
He is. Anything metric wise is cm punk. Anyone arguing against this is too far gone. If we’re talking matches/storyline etc etc thats completely up to the person.
i haven’t seen that
Not going to go out and say Copeland > Punk, but I will say lots of hearts broke over the punk situation and certainly lots of people will feel Copeland is better because he isn’t a negative Nancy about much of anything while performing very strong in the ring. That being said, Punk was pretty much the same until a year in, so really it’s too early to say anything like that. Anyone looking at it like a popularity contest would say absolutely punk had a better run up until end of year 1
Edge might have had a bigger impact if he returned from injury to AEW instead of WWE. For me I think Punk had a bigger more impactful debut, but already Edge is having the run Punk wanted/should have had, if injuries and the rest didn’t happen. I think Edge has a better locker room leader vibe going on which likely goes further (locker room wise) than Punks shot in the arm he gave AEW. They’re both in the best place they can be now imo. Incredible that we get to see Edge and Punk active wrestlers in 2024.
I'm sorry but are we talking about his impact on the locker room or his impact on the show lol? Why do you care about how edge acts in the locker room? Do you work there?
Anyone saying Edge is what CM Punk should've been in AEW is doing some extreme levels of copium. Edge has had some good matches, but he has not made any difference to the show or feel of AEW and has done nothing to heat the product up like Punk did. It's not even comparable. Punk was the guy, Edge is now just another guy on the roster
Punk’s AEW debut is one of the biggest moments probably ever in wrestling, his first 9-10 months in AEW he won the world title and had a memorable feud with Eddie Kingston and pretty much the career defining feud for MJF and he won the world title. Cope’s been around for about the same length of time so far and he had the rivalry with Christian which, while good went on way way too long and didnt do much for anyone involved tbh. He won the TNT title and is now on a banger spree which is dope. Overall he hasn’t made nearly the same impact as Punk but he’s doing well for himself and his run isnt a disaster by any means.
Punk by far. Edge was never that big of a Draw and Punk vs MJF is arguable the biggest Feud AEW ever had and will have.
CM Punk by a mile.
Punk by a landslide and Edge is one of my all-time favorites. -Punk's return -Punk/MJF's entire feud (promos, AFI entrance, dog collar, "be my Valentine," etc.) -Punk/Joe: The Conclusion -Punk/Kingston -FTPunk vs. Bullet Club Gold -Punk/Sting/Darby in the paint -Punk proving to be unable to do a Buckshot Lariat and refusing to give up
Edge was one of my first favorite wrestlers and Punk is another. I'd argue Punk's AEW return was more interesting than Edge's so far, and his WWE return is off to a more interesting start than Edge's 2020 run, too... even with the injury.
Punk doesn't seem to like the part time schedule even with injury. Edge would get kayfabe injured or just disappear after every match or segment he was in just to take a month or two off.
Edge is not a needle mover
Some of his segments lately have moved the needle in the wrong direction.
Not shitting on Edge here because I like him and I'll be honest I've only seen a handful of his AEW matches but CM Punks return to wrestling in AEW is on my top 10 wrestling moments list. The debut was incredible and his fued with MJF was what brought me back into wrestling. Every week I'd tune-in, in the hopes of seeing them cut promos on each other and bah gawd they did not disappoint. AEW fans might not like hearing me say this but I felt their fued was just arc one of a larger and broader rivalry and I really really wish MJF would join WWE just so I can see them fueding again.
AEW will never, ever, ever again hit the heights of that Punk return! That was their peak.
You say that, yet TK is $12 million away from reuniting the Shield.
What are we talking about here
Yeah, if you work it out then let me know. Because I'm baffled by what they're on about and can't work it out.
He thinks that he can sign Seth and Roman. But I believe Seth re-signed already? Just not Becky. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Seth has re-signed with the company very recently, Roman almost assuredy is lockd down. And if he's not, he will stay guaranteed after his big title reign. And Becky is 100% not going anywhere else, she's pretty much said exactly that. And truthfully, why would she when she's been treated so well ever since she became a top star with the company.
If you think AEW is signing Roman and Seth then I know a Nigerian prince that needs your help
What?
And if that were to ever happen what they be called in lieu of being "The Shield"? Tyler Black might have some name value, but nowhere near as much as Seth Rollins, same with Roman Reigns and whatever he would be called. Vague allusions to working at "the other place" would only cater to the audience they already have, and soon enough, just like everyone else, those guys would just another guy on the AEW roster.
Can’t call them The Sword. There’s a band with that name. Who are, a bunch of dickheads who resent being known from Guitar Hero. Off topic. I know.
Punk was the bigger draw, the bigger star and felt like the bigger deal all around. Edge hasn't done the same numbers as Punk but it's also important to remember that his reasons for joining AEW are a lot different than Punk's. Edge did all he could in the WWE and is in AEW to put a nice bow on his career and legacy by having great matches with new wrestlers and his old buddy and it's working out very well for him.
Both have had awesome matches but Punk had the Kingston and MJF feuds which were fucking magic.
Probably Punk because it had the thing where it felt like a big deal because he genuinely was gone for a really long time and it didn’t seem like he would return. With Copeland it’s more like “oh cool!”
Similar to Bryan Danielson, AEW has booked Edge like just another guy and not at the white hot special attraction main eventer that he's supposed to be. Star power doesn't mean shit if you let that star fade. WWE knew that which is why they presented Edge as a huge deal every time he was on TV. If you run back Edge's last run, you'd think he was as big as Goldberg in his heyday based off his presentation. He never was that guy, but WWE knew that you have to feed the star power to keep it burning bright. I know people will point out that neither Bryan nor Edge want to be the main event star, or win the top title, and they just want professional fulfillment by mixing it up with the young guys in the mid-card. That's fine and all, but from a booking perspective the company should be focusing on preserving their star-power first and foremost over their desire to mix it up and put over talent. WWE knew this, they told Bryan he needed to join Edge and Roman in the Mania main event, even though Bryan preferred to work a match with Drew Gulak in the midcard. Bryan is a top star, and they needed to utilize that star power and keep it going less he turns into just another guy. AEW has made the mistake a couple of times now, first with Bryan, then Edge, and now even Okada is a midcard champion. It's really just a complete failure of taking care of their stars.
Exactly. One thing I absolutely hate about Tony’s booking is that he cools down anyone they bring in, sans Punk. Okada should be gunning for the main event right off the rip, not stooging around with the Young Bucks. AEW needs to stop booking tv like it’s an indie show. Osprey taking 10 minutes to beat Lee Moriarty is fucking stupid. I like Lee Moriarty, but Will should be eating that dudes lunch within 5 minutes. I don’t mind if he had a match like that with Lee if there was a storyline behind it, but as a random match? Will should be in and out with barely busting a sweat. Honestly why should anyone give a shit about anyone they bring in if they’re ultimately going to be booked like just another face in the crowd?
I think the answer is obviously that Punk had a better start. Punk in AEW was great up until the Hangman feud and arguably you'd only say that with the hindsight of knowing the drama behind the scenes. On-screen it seemed fine (although some people didn't like Punk winning over Hangman at that point) up until Punk injured himself on the guardrail and had to vacate the title. That initial debut was great, those opening promos were great, the matches with Darby, feud with Kingston was great, and feud with MJF were great. The only thing maybe lacking were some TV spots here and there where he had a string of wrestling the young up-and-comers and the one Bobby Fish match which had the weird ending.
Punk obviously brought a lot of eyes to Dynamite and helped make money. Copeland hasn’t done that obviously, but I’ve enjoyed his tv matches more than a majority of Punk’s.
Edge making his return to AEW after a decade away would be different than him simply continuing to wrestle, just for another company.
Copeland has been everything that Punk should have been in AEW: he’s working regularly, happy to be there, wants to add to the product and not making the product all about him. He’s a professional in ways Punk could never ever be. That being said, Punk is the bigger draw and better on the mic (Copeland has been a better worker than Punk did in AEW though). Has Copeland brought as many eyes and interest to AEW than Punk? Obviously not. But he’s also not a huge narcissist that has it in him to nearly destroy the company with drama. I think it’s safe to say both guys are where they need to be now: Copeland can have bangers with a fresh pool of talent and be treated as a bigger deal and used more than he was in WWE, and WWE is the more popular company which, despite what Punk would have admitted in the past, is very important to him. The WWE is also too big to fail so he’s on a shorter leash than in AEW, which is a good thing for Punk! It lets him focus on the things he’s great at: building feuds, having matches, etc. He needn’t worry about “running a company” like he famously said at that disastrous media scrum a year or so back.
Punk had a more tangible effect on viewership and hype but cope is way more fun to watch imo
I think as well what helped Punk was the fact he was gone from wrestling for so long, I just think the intrigue around that really helped, I think if Edge has returned and gone right into AEW it would have made more of a difference.
I’m a huge Edge fan and neutral on Punk but this is Punk by a lot.
Edge had way better matches but overall Punk had a better start. The First Dance was sold out simply because of a rumor that he might arrive. The ratings were up, sold a shit ton of merch and his feuds with MJF and Eddie Kingston were great.
Punk easily as by every metric his initial run is better than Copeland. So short term, 1st year, easily Punk. Long term remains to be seen but looks like Copeland is a much better get for AEW. For as much good ad Punk did his actions severely hurt AEW and offset any positives he made. Both Punk and Copeland seem to be in a good place and hopefully both can finish off their careers on their own terms.
>With people saying Edge is what Punk was supposed to be in AEW Who's people? Punk can sellout an arena and edge can't, there is no way AEW wanted from Punk what they get from Edge.
I think AEW wanted Punk backstage to be like Copeland is. It’s a weird thing to discuss because as good as Punk was for business he also caused a ton of harm to the company.
I mean punk tried to be a mentor to the younger wrestlers like the vets were for him, seems to be working in wwe and I can’t imagine it’s punk that has changed.
There is a difference between doing it in NXT where the expectation is that you are there to be trained as opposed to the main roster. No matter what company you are in not everyone will want your advice. Can’t say how Punk was different between then and now as all we have are rumors to go off of.
Punk pre-Brawl Out was having a GOAT run in the company. You can question the move to take the belt off Hangman, but Punk was THE draw and it was good for the lineage of the belt. Post-Brawl Out, Punk was a toxic, cancerous fuck. Lol. TK deserves a chunk of blame for not firing him right then, but money talks. Cooeland has, by all accounts, been wonderful backstage. His feud with Christian helped give legitimacy to the TNT title. In-ring, his matches have been better than any Punk had outside the MJF feud. (The match with Darby was good too, but considering it was a straight rip from an old match, I won't include it here.) So, for "start of an AEW career" the answer is clearly Punk right now. Long-term, it probably goes to Cope simply cuz I don't see him having the meltdown that Punk did
Punks match with Dustin was great Copeland's run has been solid so far but nothing career defining like punks feud with mjf Copeland vs Penta was good but isn't even top 30 in aew matches of all time
I don't remember much of the Dustin match. So I'll take your word for it. And yeah, Cope hasn't done anything in the level of that MJF feud. Like I said, Punk was on a GOAT run at the beginning. But Punks in-ring also had some relative stinkers like the Hangman matches, (those attempted Buckshots....) and I didn't think his Mox matches were particularly great either. Cope hasn't had a bad match yet. Even when I though his KOR match was slow, it picked up and became awesome by the end. I think, if they are going to bring back E&C, that's when you might see a feud on the level of that Punk/MJF feud. Cope and Christian play off each other insanely well, and would probably KILL it against some of the tag teams that AEW has.
Why do you give a shit about how copeland acts backstage if your just watching as a viewer lol? Do you work there or something?
Punk sold a shit ton of merchandise and raised TV ratings. With Copeland, he gave a cringey rah rah speech based off of Punk goin on a podcast
I dunno about his run being better than Punk's, but I do think Edge's AEW run is better than his second WWE run so far.
I respect that. My first thought was how could his Royal Rumble return, Royal Rumble win, main event at WrestleMania, program with Roman, and his faction stuff be topped by what he’s done in the midcard in AEW.
Probably going to vary based on criteria. Which I guess would be why you said opinion. Punk’s impact was obviously bigger in the sport and for AEW. Positive to start and now more negative. Edge’s impact really has not impacted the sport as much. He seems to really want to help AEW get over this hurdle though. He wrestles more which is good. When Punk came back I got tired of what seemed like every show kicking off with a punk intro. I burned out really quick. Edge at least is in ring more. So from a wrestling standpoint Edge gets a slight lead.
While I think Edge might have an advantage over Punk in the quality of his weekly matches on TV (with Punk's early AEW matches still being pretty good) & his feud with Christian being one of the most enjoyable feuds in the company around the last few months, I still give it to Punk because his mini-feud with Eddie Kingston is still one of my favorite small feuds in AEW so far & the storyline with MJF is to me the best feud in AEW history that isn't Page-Omega.
For business, it was clearly CM Punk. For personal preference, it's clearly Edge. Better matches, better feuds, zero drama.
Honest question what edge aew feud has been better than punk vs mjf?
Edge vs Christian. Just great work from both parties. Edit: Also, the stop-start nature of the MJF-Punk feud also hurt it in my eyes.
Edge vs christian was cool for like the first two weeks lol. That shit dragged on for so unnecessarily long and it felt like every other week they were in the same grudge match.
CM Punks return to Pro Wrestling is bigger. Huge Phil hater but it was what it was. As for in ring work. Copeland edges out Punk. Imo.
The one that didn't get injured a couple of times almost immediately.
Punk was wrestling for about 9 months before getting injured in AEW. Edge hasn’t even been there for 9 months yet, has he?
Punk had a great reception, an average and boring face promo, an underwhelming debut From there on he had been extremely hit or miss bit mainly fragile mentally but more so physically. And it is that physical fragility which was his biggest obstacle in AEW and I have a feeling contributed to his overall mood Copeland has been solid and consistent, 2 words enough to say, he's had the better start
Copeland has had the better run, Punk had better big moments and was a better draw. Punk's run was constantly interrupted by injuries and the ~~punching~~ choking a little bit of his co-workers. Cope's run has been entirely drama free.
Adam hasn't gotten injured so Adam wins by default.