CM Punk Addresses Botched Buckshot Lariats At AEW Double Or Nothing

CM Punk officially became the face of AEW at Double or Nothing last night, defeating "Hangman" Adam Page in the show's main event to claim the AEW World Championship. A significant portion of the match was built around Punk and Page each using the other's finishing move — a story they had also been telling in the lead-up to the match — which makes it a shame that Punk botched Page's Buckshot Lariat not once, but twice.

Both occasions saw the former WWE Champion fail to land the front flip over the top rope that sets up the move, stumbling and falling instead of keeping his feet. The second time Punk followed through with the lariat regardless, though the crowd was less than impressed.

"That's one of those f*cking things," Punk said when asked about the attempts during Double Or Nothing's post-show media scrum. "That's the only time that I've missed it since I've tried it, and I did it on TV, and I just didn't hit it for whatever reason, and it sucks. But that's the fun thing about pro wrestling, I'm more comfortable when sh*t goes f*cking sideways, and not everything needs to look perfect, in my opinion. I'll probably beat myself up about it way too much, but, you know, mistakes happen."

As far as what's next for Punk as AEW World Champion, the star revealed several names he'd like to face now that he's got the belt, putting Bryan Danielson atop that list as a potential dream opponent. With AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door currently listed as the next AEW pay-per-view, Punk will likely face one of NJPW's top stars, listing Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Will Ospreay as potential match-ups for the show. Forbidden Door will take place on June 26.

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