AEW star takes a cheeky dig at Roman Reigns following CM Punk's debut at Rampage

AEW's Chavo Guerrero took a sly dig at WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns following CM Punk's momentous debut at AEW Rampage: The First Dance.

"I gotta say that @CMPunk may have moved the needle a little last night for @AEW 😉👍🏼 #aew #allout #cmpunk #thingsarechanging", Chavo Guerrero tweeted.

I gotta say that @CMPunk may have moved the needle a little last night for @AEW 😉👍🏼 #aew #allout #cmpunk #thingsarechanging

— Chavo Guerrero jr. (@mexwarrior) August 21, 2021

At an all-time great reception, fans inside the United Center erupted when Cult of Personality played, drowning out the song with their cheers.

Roman Reigns mentioned recently that he doesn't believe CM Punk "moves the needle" like a John Cena or a Dwayne Johnson.

"These statements are coming from people who thought they were better than they were.CM Punk wasn't as good or over as John Cena, he didn't move the needle like The Rock."@WWERomanReigns talks to @arielhelwani about the fight for main event spots and putting eyes on WWE 👀 pic.twitter.com/0JK37sjkTi

— WWE on BT Sport (@btsportwwe) August 19, 2021

"Those statements are coming from bitter people, you know, who possibly thought they were better than they really were," said Roman Reigns. "When it comes down to it, CM Punk was not as good or as over as a John Cena. [He] wasn't as good or as over and moved the needle like The Rock. It just wasn't what it was," Reigns continued.

The statement from the Tribal Chief attracted a lot of attention ahead of CM Punk's debut at AEW Rampage, with people arguing on both sides.

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Did the AEW fans prove Roman Reigns wrong regarding CM Punk?

The atmosphere inside the United Center was electric well before AEW Rampage got underway as fans incessantly chanted for CM Punk. AEW did the smart thing by having the Straight Edge superstar open the show with a lengthy promo that had the crowd rocking throughout the length of the segment.

The pop from the crowd for CM Punk's return to the ring will give you CHILLS 😱(via @AEWonTNT)pic.twitter.com/NP2CXHKwUN

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 21, 2021

Multiple fans were in tears as many more flooded Twitter, with some lapsed fans returning to pro-wrestling. It was reminiscent of CM Punk's iconic pipebomb that remains the most memorable moment in recent wrestling history.

This is the kind of moment that awakens a whole bunch of lapsed wrestling fans to come back and give wrestling a try again. This feels special, a paradigm shift. This is what I missed about pro wrestling.Well done @CMPunk #AEWRampage pic.twitter.com/9FvLoOrXM0

— ᴀʀᴅᴀ Öᴄᴀʟ (@Arda) August 21, 2021

However, John Cena and Dwayne Johnson are megastars, arguably the biggest stars professional wrestling will ever see. When the two headlined WrestleMania 28, they posted the highest pay-per-view buys in history. In terms of popularity and mainstream appeal, CM Punk is perhaps not at that level.

- A whole year long “Once in a Lifetime” build.- Two of the biggest stars of their generations.- Highest WWE PPV buyrate ever at 1.25 Million PPV buys.John Cena vs The Rock at #WrestleMania 28 has to be the Biggest match in WWE history. pic.twitter.com/BW78O8yzdi

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) March 17, 2021

But what cannot be argued is that CM Punk commands affection from a completely different segment of fans, hardcore and casual. His pipebomb turned WWE on its head and paved the way for many stars like Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens to be taken seriously and become world champions. There's a reason why 7 years after his departure, his name was chanted to express displeasure with WWE.

Whether or not Roman Reigns' statement about the proverbial needle stands true, it remains to be seen. After all, there's a lot more than fan reaction in arenas and social media when it comes to moving the needle. The early signs are encouraging for AEW as they welcome their biggest star to the AEW roster.