CM Punk was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso ahead of AEW All In 2023, where the “real” AEW World Champion primarily discussed his upcoming match with Samoa Joe at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
If you follow CM Punk on Instagram, you’d be well aware that he is a devoted Chicago Blackhawks fan. At this year’s NHL draft, the Blackhawks landed a major marquee pick with 18-year-old phenom Connor Bedard – who, as Barrasso noted, “has the potential to be a franchise cornerstone for the next decade-and-a-half.”
When asked who he thinks is the Connor Bedard of AEW, Punk cited someone who may be considered among his proteges, young Darby Allin. Praising the three-time TNT Champion, Punk had this to say:
“It’s Darby Allin. He’s still fairly young, and he always makes chicken salad out of chicken sh–.” “He’s got that ‘It Factor,’ and he’s really getting comfortable. We had a whole big promo segment a few weeks ago [on Collision], and I thought he shined. That made me super proud. He has a ton to offer, as long as he doesn’t kill himself jumping over his house in a f—— monster truck or something like that.”
Notably, Punk handpicked Darby Allin as his opponent for his return to professional wrestling after 7 years, having wrestled him in his AEW debut at All Out 2021.
