Ladies and gentlemen welcome to another edition of TXHT Jersey Share where today we take a look at All Elite Wrestling’s first hockey jersey, which was done for CM Punk, and boy does this come with a doozy of a story.
In August of 2022 during an episode of AEW Dynamite it was announced that a presale for a CM Punk hockey jersey would become available. Obviously, being a fan of both CM Punk and collecting hockey jerseys I knew this would be one I would like to get. I preordered the jersey, and it arrived right after my birthday in October, but right before the AEW Dynamite and Rampage shows in Washington DC. Now, here’s where it got interesting. The presale for the jerseys ended during Labor Day weekend, which is also when AEW ALL OUT took place. Well, for us wrestling fans, we know what happened after the pay per view, but for those who don’t follow wrestling, here’s a quick summary of what happened.
So CM punk won the main event and became the AEW World Heavyweight Champion for the second time, and after the pay per view went off the air AEW did their post-show press conference and Punk dropped the ultimate gripe bomb that ruffled a lot of feathers. After Punk got back to his locker room a brawl ensued with the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and others. There were suspensions, titles were stripped, and Punk has also been out due to an injury he suffered from the match on ALL OUT. Overall, it was a real cluster, plus a lot of the details are not fully out there, and no one is sharing details about what went down publicly. But suffice to say, my original plan to wear the CM Punk hockey jersey to the AEW shows in DC to celebrate my birthday never happened. I just wore my AEW hoodie instead. There is talk of CM Punk returning to AEW and soon, so we’ll see in the coming weeks.
So with that out of the way, let’s talk about the jersey. AEW and PWTees went simple, but also made it feel very like CM Punk. The white base and the black striping is very standard, but I will give them credit when it comes to two things for the striping. For one, I love how the stripe on the bottom of the jersey has a painted on feel. I like that as it gives it a bit more of a grungy feel to it. Also, for the sleeves, I like how they did two sets of three black stripes. The stripes at the bottom of the sleeves is more standard, but the stripes above the elbow was a nice touch, especially since the added the player number in there. For the main logo on the jersey in the center crest area is the standard CM Punk “Best in the World” logo that he’s used since debuting in AEW in August of 2021, and has on other merchandise like shirts and hoodies.
On the back of the jersey I like how they did the black nameplate with CM Punk’s name in red. I’m also a fan of the styling for it too as it continues with the grunge look. The number in red with a font that looks like came from the movie “30 Days of Night” gives it a nice touch, but the two stars on each side give it a nice Chicago feel to it as well. The two stars on each side of the number is also used for the numbers on the sleeves, which brings good consistency to the overall look. On last thing to note, and that is the inside part of the collar for the jersey as it features a picture of CM Punk sitting in the ring with a microphone in hand. It’s a nice little touch, and it’s a small thing that goes a long way.
Now for a few gripes of my own about the jersey. For one, and this is an overall AEW issue with all of their shirts and hoodies, but you don’t need the AEW logo right under the CM Punk “Best in the World” logo. It’s completely unnecessary. Especially since the AEW logo was put on the back of the jersey in a properly placed spot where it doesn’t take any attention away from the overall look of the jersey. Having the AEW logo underneath the wrestler’s logo is always off putting. Next gripe that I have is about the lack of patches on the jersey. We spent quite a bit for these jerseys and to have everything be sublimated onto the jersey feels like a let down. It would have been very cool to have the “Best in the World” logo, the numbers (and stars), and the CM Punk nameplate all be patches that were sewn on. It would have made the jersey pop more.
Overall, this is a nice jersey, and it’s also fitting to be with CM Punk, who also happens to be a devout Chicago Blackhawks fan. Gripes aside, it is a jersey I am happy to have in my collection, and one that I hope can wear to a future AEW show.
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