Darby Allin Recalls Stress Of Being CM Punk's Opponent For Wrestling Return, AEW Debut

Darby Allin played a central role in CM Punk's return to the ring in 2021, both by teasing Punk's AEW debut in a promo ahead of All Out and then serving as his hand-picked opponent for the Chicago pay-per-view. On the Lost Signals podcast, Allin recalled the pressure he felt leading up to that match, Punk's first in seven years.

"I remember that day very vividly. It was a lot of stress. A lot of stress," Allin said. "Because, you know, Punk coming back and then being his first match, I had a feeling if it fell apart, it was gonna fall on me." In fact, he felt so much anxiety that it made him sick. "I was throwing up that day, I was so nervous. Sting came up to me and said 'I know you're not a religious man but can I say a prayer for you?' And I'm just like [standing] over the trash can like 'Sure dude,'" he laughed.

In past interviews, Allin has said that Punk was his favorite wrestler as a kid, drawn in by Punk's straight-edge, punk rock, "I don't give a sh*t what you think about me" attitude. Allin even started his wrestling career in 2014 — the same year Punk originally left wrestling — a bit of synchronicity that Allin said gave their match an extra bit of significance. For his part, Punk has frequently praised the young AEW star on multiple occasions. He told reporters at the All Out 2021 media scrum that Allin was the ideal opponent for his return to the ring, and later said he would be open to forming a long-term trio with Allin and Sting.