"August 13th, 2005, I left professional wrestling. August 20th, 2021, I'm back."

[Kontext: CM Punk kehrt nach über sieben Jahren Pause zum Wrestling zurück, für All Elite Wrestling in Chicago, seiner Heimatstadt. Die Promo ist durchsetzt mit Pausen von "CM Punk"-Sprechchören von einem legendär lauten United Center voll mit 15.000 Wrestlingfans.]

CM Punk: "You guys really know how to make a kid feel like Britt Baker in Pittsburgh.

I'm winging this. We're winging this. We. That's a very important distinction, we'll get back to it. But I didn't plan on what I was gonna say, because I didn't know what to say. Because I didn't know how I was gonna feel. But I knew that I needed to feel it. And I feel you, Chicago! And I hear you, Chicago! ["CM Punk!"] That's what I've heard for seven years. I heard you. I heard you. And we've got a lot to cover. There's good news and bad news--the bad news is we're not gonna get to all right here, right now. But the good news is, is I've got the time--Wednesday, Friday, four Sundays or Saturdays a year. I got the time and I ain't going anywhere.

Wait, one second. Possibly, for me, the most important thing I'm gonna say right now--and this is for everybody at home, this is for everybody who bought a ticket, this is for everybody in the back--if at all through my journey, any of my personal choices or decisions related to my life, made you feel disapointed or let down, let me just say, let me just say, I understand. If you all tried to understand that I was never gonna get healthy physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally, staying in the same place that got me sick in the first place.

Can I tell you guys a story? It's hot in here, hang on one second. [Punk zieht sich die Hoodie-Jacke aus und präsentiert sein neues T-Shirt.]

Can I tell you a story? [Punk setzt sich unter lautem Jubel im Schneidersitz in die Mitte des Rings, symbolisch die gleiche Position wie seine berühmte 'Pipe Bomb'-Promo zehn Jahre zuvor.]

You see, I felt before like I had to leave. I didn't want to, but I knew I couldn't stay and that was when I used to work for a place called Ring Of Honor. August 13th, 2005 was my last match in Ring Of Honor and I famously came out with tears in my eyes. And walking out here today, I now know why I was crying. And it for a lot of reasons, but what it boiled down to was: I had made a place where people could come work, get paid, learn their craft and love professional wrestling. And I cried because I knew I was leaving a place that I love and it was a home. And I knew where I was going it wasn't gonna be easy for a guy like me, because I'm one of you. So I look at it like this: August 13th, 2005, I left professional wrestling. August 20th, 2021, I'm back.

And I'm back for you. I'm not gonna lie, I'm back for me too. But I'm back because there's a hell of lot of young talent that I wish I was surrounded by ten years ago, so in saying that, I sit back and I say--well, hell, they're there now, so why aren't you? Here I am.

I'm back because I want to work with that young talent that had the same passion that I had stamped out. I'm back because there's a couple of scores to settle in that locker room. I'm back for the young guys. Darby Allin.

[Darby Allin und Sting werden gezeigt, welche die Promo von den Raftern aus verfolgen.]

I've seen you. You're good. I've seen you jump out of airplanes. I've seen you wrapped up in a body bag and chucked over the top rope. I've seen you kicked down a flight of stairs and you always come back. Just like each and every person here in Chicago, you're tough. But I'm here to help. And you're the first on the list, I'm gonna help you because you're a daredevil and you like danger. Well, Darby Allin, there's nothing you could do that is more dangerous than wrestling CM Punk. Except, wrestling CM Punk in Chicago.

I will see you. And I'll see Sting, and I'll see all of you, September 5th at All Out, live on Pay Per View. I'm back."