Internet Split Over Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk Rematch at All Out

The main event for All Out is set: Jon Moxley will defend his undisputed AEW World Championship against CM Punk in a rematch. But this match between two of wrestling’s top stars in a packed arena in Chicago is getting a surprisingly mixed reaction, at least online. A quick read through Twitter or Reddit conversations on the topic show fans split over whether this could be the biggest main event in AEW history, or whether AEW has totally jumped the shark.

For the detractors, the feud is viewed as rushed, with Punk returning from injury, losing to Moxley in a squash match, teasing a retirement the next week before switching mid-promo to deciding to fight Moxley again at the PPV, all in the span of about three weeks. Additionally, some fans find it hard to buy into the angle where Punk lost the first match in three minutes due to his foot injury but is now good to go for another round on Sunday. Finally, for fans who already weren’t buying into the angle, Punk’s promo about his solidarity with the people of Chicago simply wasn’t compelling.

Furthermore, a subset of detractors tends to appreciate wrestling through the perspective of a person analyzing and critiquing the business aspects of the sport rather than enjoying the actual product. For those uber-smarks, giving away the PPV main event on free TV two weeks before the show was a cardinal sin, and now that Punk has already lost once, they aren’t buying him as a valid contender in the rematch. And I dare say there’s a certain level of anger at being worked by the dirt sheet rumors leading up to the match, which have changed some people’s views of CM Punk as the everyman hero (even though he’s always come off a little bit like an arrogant, self-centered jerk).

On the other hand, a lot of fans loved Punk’s promo, as most of the fans in the building in Chicago seemed to (notably, one fan in the crowd was spotted literally holding a baby up in the air as some kind of ritualistic offering to Punk). But then again, it’s Chicago, where the crowd will love CM Punk no matter what he does. Additionally, few can argue that Jon Moxley hasn’t been absolutely on fire since returning from rehab, and whether you loved or hated Punk’s promo, Moxley’s two promos on Dynamite last night were top-notch.

Though I’ve been following the backstage happenings of the wrestling business since the mid-nineties, when my favorite website was Scoops Central and the highlight of my week was reading Chris Hyatte’s Mop-Ups on Tuesday morning (RIP Hyatte), I never could get too far into the super-smark mindset. This is just my opinion, but wrestling is less enjoyable when all you care about is star ratings and drawing power and whether or not something is good business. I like to enjoy the stories, the characters, the promos, the matches, and in the best of circumstances, the thrill of “marking out” that only pro wrestling can provide, even as I contradictorily write about it from the business perspective every day here at Bleeding Cool. I’m not saying I don’t notice or think about the business aspect of wrestling, but I do my best not to let it ruin my enjoyment of the show, and if it comes down to preferring something to be entertaining but incredibly stupid business, or smart business but boring, I’m going to go with entertaining every time. Give me prime Dixie Carter era TNA over prime John Cena era WWE any day of the week is what I’m saying.

So when it comes to Punk vs. Moxley 2, I’ve enjoyed the last few weeks of story, and I’m looking forward to the rematch at All Out. But final judgment on the feud will have to wait until we see what happens at the PPV, because there’s a lot of ways it could go. Punk regaining the title is the most obvious outcome, but that’s not a sure thing. There’s also a question of whether Punk will emerge from the match as a heel or a face, and whether or not MJF will get involved, and, if he does, to what end.

At the end of the day, how Punk vs. Moxley 2 is remembered will largely depend on how well the main event is executed at All Out. The one thing you can guarantee is that whatever side turns out to be correct when all is said and done, most people will claim to have been on that side all along, as MJF so succinctly pointed out the last time we saw him.

All Out takes place on PPV at 8PM on Sunday. Get it on PPV, get it on Fite, and as an absolute last resort if you have no other options, get it on Bleacher Report.