CM Grapplin' Punk

CM Punk v Daniel Garcia (AEW Rampage, 10/8/21)

What a great wee bout. If you'd told me six months ago that CM Punk would end up being my favourite wrestler in the world in the year 2022 I would have respectfully told you that you were on a nonsense. But it's almost absurd how giddy I, a grown man, get for CM Punk right now. He is ridiculously fun and I thought he was sensational in this. Just a total chef's kiss of a performance, one that was loaded with little moments that resonate completely with a dipshit who geeks out for the sort of stuff I geek out for. If Punk had just been home sitting on his arse for the last seven years this would've had a cool young shooter stepping to the veteran dynamic, but since he went and messed around in an octagon for a minute there it had an even cooler young shooter stepping to the veteran shooter dynamic (even if his MMA record would suggest Punk was never much of a shooter). There were lots of neat moments that highlighted the experience gap, and I thought Tazz and Jericho were both great on commentary at pointing them out. Things like Garcia taking a few seconds to bask in gaining an advantage rather than actually following up on it, which allowed Punk to sidestep a corner dropkick, or when Garcia threw on the Sharpshooter but didn't drag Punk away from the ropes before it, which we see the reverse of later when Punk makes sure to pull Garcia into a favourable position before applying the Anaconda Vice. Garcia worked like a dude with a chip on his shoulder and Punk doing "these kids today don't know anything about respect" is a hoot, particularly when you think about CM Punk at Daniel Garcia's age. There was a great bit where Garcia was trying to grab something on the mat, maybe a kneebar or an armbar, each time Punk would try to sit up and Garcia would dismissively facepalm him back to the mat, and by the third time he did it you could see that Punk was going to box his ears in. That he wound up doing it with Mongolian chops was as random as it was awesome. Everything with the leg ruled and I thought Punk's selling was brilliant in an understated sort of way. He wasn't big and dramatic with it but you never forgot it was bothering him, and more than a couple times he had to switch up his attack to account for it. I watched this last night and I wish I could remember a few more specifics, but there were a couple moments that I know I thought were awesome. Also Garcia busted out the ring post figure-four and that right away is cause for celebration. Loved the Pepsi Twist, loved the big dive in how ungraceful it looked ("I need to hit three people here so why do a fancy flip when I can just throw myself on top of them as awkwardly as possible?") and loved the finish. Subbing out the GTS for the piledriver so it meant he wouldn't need to hit anyone in the skull with a bad knee was a great touch, and I like that the Vice is treated as a match-winner that doesn't need any build.