Eleven years ago today WWE saw one of the most acclaimed matches in history when CM Punk defeated John Cena at Money In The Bank in Chicago to become the new WWE champion. The evening ended with Punk escaping through the crowd with the title and blowing a kiss goodbye to Vince McMahon, as it was unknown if Punk would be re-signing with the company.
AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter today to celebrate the iconic moment in Punk’s career, as well as tout the success he’s had since returning to the sport last August, which included him becoming AEW world champion. Khan writes:
11 years ago today @CMPunk set the wrestling world ablaze. He’s every bit as good today & he’s the @AEW World Champion.Check out The First Dance, All Out 2021, Full Gear 2021, Revolution 2022, Double or Nothing 2022 to see why & how CM Punk proved he’s still Best in the World.”
Punk has been out injured since May with a broken foot. In his absence Jon Moxley has been crowned interim AEW world champion, with a future showdown set to take place whenever Punk is healthy enough to return. See Khan’s tweet below.