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We all expected CM Punk to debut on AEW Rampage last night and we were not left disappointed. The show kicked off with 'Cult of Personality' hitting followed by one of the biggest pops I can remember.
Punk received a raucous reception from fans from his hometown of Chicago as he made his way down to the ring where he explained his absence from the squared circle for the past seven years.
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We also learned that CM Punk's first opponent in AEW will be none other than Darby Allin. Punk will face Darby Allin in singles action at the All Out pay-per-view with Sting at ringside.
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We learned a lot more from CM Punk in his post-show media scrum alongside Tony Khan, where he named nine AEW stars he would be interested in facing. Let's take a look:
#9 Former AEW World Champion and former WWE star Jon Moxley
One of the AEW wrestlers CM Punk named as a possible opponent is former WWE star Jon Moxley. Moxley wrestled in WWE as Dean Ambrose. He is a former WWE Champion and a three-time Intercontinental Champion, and also held a host of other titles.
Moxley has also enjoyed success in AEW, where he is a former World Champion.
Punk and Moxley have wrestled in the past, including in FCW, which was WWE's developmental territory before NXT. Moxley later made his main roster WWE debut as part of The Shield at Survivor Series 2012, helping CM Punk retain his title. He triple powerbombed WWE Superstar Ryback and helped Punk pin John Cena in their triple threat match.
As of now, Jon Moxley and his friend are in a feud with former WWE NXT stars 2.0 (Matt Lee and Jeff Parker) as well as Daniel Garcia, who Moxley defeated in the main event of AEW Rampage last night.
#8 and #7 The AEW World Tag-Team Champions - The Young Bucks
CM Punk also named the current AEW World Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks, as two opponents that he would want to face inside an AEW ring. The Bucks and Punk have never faced each other and this could be seen by many fans as a dream match. But for this to happen, the Second City Saint would have to find himself a tag-team partner.
The Young Bucks are currently set to defend the AEW World Tag Team Championships at All Out inside a steel cage against the winners of the AEW Tag Team title eliminator tournament.
#6 Powerhouse Hobbs
CM Punk has named Team Taz member Powerhouse Hobbs as another AEW star he is interested in facing.
'Powerhouse' Will Hobbs has impressed since signing with AEW last year. He started off as a babyface before turning on Cody Rhodes, hitting him with the FTW title belt, and aligning with Taz's faction, Team Taz.
A Hobbs vs Punk match would definitely be interesting, especially in regards to the way the experienced Punk deals with Hobbs' size and power advantage.
#5 Brian Pillman Jr
Another AEW star CM Punk is interested in facing is Brian Pillman Jr, son of late wrestling legend Brian Pillman.
Brian Pillman Jr is currently a part of the Varsity Blondes along with Griff Garrison and Julia Hart. Pillman Jr and Garrison are one of the top up-and-coming tag-teams in AEW and will be a part of the eliminator tournament, where they face Penta El Zero M and Fenix -The Lucha Bros.
It would be great to see CM Punk mixing it up with some of AEW's younger stars and he could face Pillman Jr in either singles action or alongside a partner of his choice, taking on both Varsity Blondes.
#4 Ricky Starks
A second Team Taz member, Ricky Starks, is on CM Punk's list of potential AEW opponents. The holder of the FTW title is one of the top up-and-coming young wrestlers in the singles division, and has often been compared to The Rock himself.
A match between Punk and Starks would be great inside the ring, and their promos would also be entertaining.
#3 Jungle Boy
Of all of AEW's homegrown young stars, Jungle Boy would be at the top of the list. Jungle Boy was also named by Punk as someone he is interested in facing.
Right now, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are going after the AEW World Tag Team Championships. They won their semi-final in the AEW tag title eliminator tournament last night on Rampage and will face either Varsity Blondes or Lucha Bros in the finals.
Jungle Boy has a future as a top singles star in AEW and CM Punk could be just the man to elevate him to the next level.
#2 Darby Allin
CM Punk named Darby Allin as a wrestler he wants to face, and the former TNT Champion will be Punk's first opponent in AEW. Darby Allin and CM Punk will face off in singles action at All Out in early September.
Punk called out Darby Allin during his promo on Rampage last night, saying that he knew the former TNT Champion loved danger. He added that there was nothing more dangerous for Allin than facing CM Punk in Chicago.
#1 Kenny Omega - The current AEW World Champion
One of the AEW stars at the top of CM Punk's list of potential dream opponents in All Elite Wrestling is AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
We may not witness a match between Omega and Punk soon, seeing that Omega will face Christian Cage at All Out followed by a potential clash with fan-favourite 'Hangman' Adam Page. But their eventual matchup is one fans will keenly be waiting for.
Here's exactly what CM Punk had to say about his dream opponents in AEW.
"I get excited about the prospect of me working with [Brian] Pillman, [Will] Hobbs, [Ricky] Starks, Jungle Boy, Darby Allin, Jon Moxley... never worked with Jon Moxley before. I mean, literally there's everybody. I've never done anything with The Young Bucks, I've never stepped into the ring with Kenny Omega. I think there are so many 'dream matches', I think that's what people would call them... just dream situations.
You can check out CM Punk's full post-Rampage media scrum HERE.
