AEW All Out 2021 preview and predictions

Fels: OK, hear me out, because I know what suggesting a Punk loss in Chicago means for anyone’s well-being.

Punk has made it clear that one of the biggest reasons he has returned is to give younger wrestlers the shine and boost that he felt they never got in WWE, including himself. And if you didn’t know the details, on the surface the idea of a veteran returning after a seven year absence to go over a company’s biggest young star in his first match back sounds like the exact kind of thing that bothered Punk about WWE. If he’s really here to turn people like Allin into a star…

Secondly, a Punk loss could start him on a storytelling path of wondering if he still has it at 42 and seven years away. As would maybe one more loss after this (I can’t think of who that would be to though. Ricky Starks? Malakai? Come back to this later). Which would make his eventual and inevitable charge up the roster toward one of the titles have that much more bottom to it. Simply having Punk win to send everyone home happy doesn’t leave as much room or options. If Punk is here to make young performers look good, and he beats the first few he sees, does that completely work?

Thirdly, Allin and Punk (if he’s anywhere near top shape) are more than capable of telling a story in the ring that would make an Allin make sense in a way that even a Chicago crowd would understand and go along with, or at least begrudgingly accept. .

Of course the crowd could light everything on fire within a three mile radius if Punk doesn’t win, so we should consider that heavily.

Fonseca: I doubt CM Punk is losing this. I think he would totally put Darby Allin over, and there’s a world in which you could convince most people that he should, but nah, I don’t see it here and I don’t see it right now.

Initially, I was going to keep this very brief because we generally kind of know what to expect. But regarding my preference, Sam’s totally convinced me that Punk should lose this. His case is excellent. Punk should lose a great match, but also, look a step slow in big spots, and then we get into the storyline of whether or not he still has it, which is what he wants to find out, and the people would be behind him 100-percent. This could draw out for a while (not too long) and have a massive payoff, where a victory against Allin or whoever could skyrocket Punk into being the old him and getting title opportunities and such, if he even needs that. Yeah, I’m in on a shocking Punk loss for the bigger picture. And, of course, this pushes Allin into God knows what.