MJF has finally agreed to give fans what they want; “The Salt of the Earth” accepted CM Punk‘s challenge for a match, and he named the February 2 episode of AEW Dynamite as the place.
On the special “Beach Break” episode of AEW Dynamite, “The Second City Saint” came to the ring. He made it clear that the time for talking was over; instead, dressed in his “longboys”, Punk dared MJF to come to the ring and fight him. “The Salt of the Earth” came to the stage and agreed to face Punk, but he refused to “waste” the dream match on a town like Cleveland. Instead, he told the former world champion the match will be next week in Punk’s “dumpster fire” of a hometown, Chicago.
It is set! @The_MJF vs. @CMPunk in Chicago next week!#AEWDynamite: #BeachBreak is LIVE on @TBSNetwork right now! pic.twitter.com/xwkEy7ws6T
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 27, 2022
MJF then ripped into Punk by bringing up the way he left WWE; he reminded the Cleveland crowd how Punk no-showed the city when he walked away from WWE in 2014. The Dynamite Diamond Ring winner then promised to show the world the “real” CM Punk, the one who lost his smile when he didn’t get his way.
MJF compared Punk to LeBron James, who famously left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. “The Salt of the Earth” emphasized how he believed Punk would just as easily turn his back on the fans who have adored him ever since he left.
Punk responded by stating that he’s always taken matters into his own hands. He stated that leaving WWE was the best thing he’s ever done, but coming back to wrestling was just as great for him. He again dared MJF to fight him because he knew the latter couldn’t hang with him.
.@CMPunk always gets back up and fights!#AEWDynamite: #BeachBreak is LIVE on @TBSNetwork right now! pic.twitter.com/Gl2vImnXWH
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 27, 2022
The Pinnacle proceeded to blindside Punk ad beat him down with a steel chair. Wardlow then reluctantly powerbombed Punk onto the steel before MJF told the fan-favorite he’d see him in Chicago next week.
Later in the show, the broadcast team announced that next week’s episode will also feature a tag team bout. The House of Black (Malakai Black and Brody King) will take on PAC and Penta El Zero Miedo. This bout will mark PAC’s first match on AEW TV since December 1; Black blinded him in a post-match attack, and he subsequently missed several weeks. The House of Black continues to target Death Triangle, and this feud will escalate when the duos collide on Wednesday night.
The updated card for the February 2 episode of AEW Dynamite is as follows:
- CM Punk vs. MJF
- The House of Black (Malakai Black and Brody King) vs. PAC and Penta El Zero Miedo
WrestleZone will provide more details as they become available.
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