Paul Wight Hints At CM Punk’s AEW Debut, How Big It Will Be
It is expected that CM Punk will make his AEW debut tonight on Rampage. Punk himself has added to that speculation via social media, posting several cryptic messages suggesting his return tonight.
Paul Wight joined ESPN's SportsNation to talk about the CM Punk rumors heading into tonight's AEW Rampage and hinted at a major appearance on the show. The former WWE Champion added that the moment on tonight's show could compare to some of the more memorable moments in wrestling history like the nWo and Hulk Hogan going to WCW.
"Tonight is a night on Rampage where in the future, people are going to say 'Hey do you remember when?' Wight mentioned. "We're in Chicago, United Centre, sold out. There's a lot of rumors going around, a lot of scuttlebutt. There's an opportunity tonight for someone to make an appearance on Rampage here in AEW that will literally knock the wrestling world on its keister. This is one of the biggest, anticipated events that I can remember in a long time.
"I was trying to think about it today, what is it compared to? Is it compared to Hulk Hogan going to WCW? Does it compare to the nWo? Stone Cold Steve Austin glass breaking Austin 3:16? What kind of an impact, if the rumors are true, will this have on the wrestling business. I can neither confirm nor deny what kind of an impact tonight's Rampage will have on the wrestling industry for the future."
Being one of a select few members of the business to have wrestled during both the Monday Night Wars and the current wrestling battle between AEW and WWE, Wight detailed the differences between the two. The 49-year-old spoke about the reasons he prefers AEW to WWE and why a wrestling war is good for the business as a whole.
"The comparison is there's just alternatives for fans now, it's a great time to be a wrestling fan depending on what kind of product you like watching," Wight said. "The biggest difference between WWE and AEW that I can tell is just the difference in authenticity. AEW is the smaller, newer, new kid on the block. The talent, when a guy or gal has a promo, that's them, there's not a backstage of 35 or 40 writers handing you a piece of paper that you have to struggle to memorize. The performances are a lot more authentic and it's more wrestling oriented.
"I think that alternative product is what fans are getting excited about now. It's great to have competition, it's great to motivate the locker room. The best thing is with two big companies working hard and providing opportunities for wrestlers to work. If there's only one company, there's only one place to work and the diversity isn't as prevalent as it is now with multiple companies with a chance for talent to grow and discover who they are and make a connection with the audience."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ESPN SportsNation with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.