CM Punk Addresses Crowd After AEW Collision Taping, Pays Tribute to Terry Funk

CM Punk spoke to the crowd following the post-Dynamite taping of AEW Collision and paid his respects to Terry Funk. As noted, Funk passed away on Wednesday at the age of 79. A video of Punk addressing the crowd after the taping is online, with Punk referencing Funk and the legends that are still with us like Sting and Bret Hart, while noting that we have to respect those that paved the way for the industry.

You can see the full transcript and the video below:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I love coming to work every day to see the two different generations, one I’m in the middle of: Sting and Darby Allin. I appreciate coming to work and seeing all of you staying late, hanging out with all of us, letting us entertain you. One of the big reasons I would say that I’m here, maybe that Sting’s here, maybe that Darby is here — there’s a little piece of this man and each and every single one of you here today. I stand on the shoulders of giants, and today we lost one. Terry Funk.

“No matter what religion you believe, maybe you don’t have a religion. One thing I believe is that you are never truly gone as long as the people who look up to you remember you, and continue to tell stories long after you’re gone. My heart is heavy tonight because Terry is gone. But I can still smile because Sting is still here. Bret Hart is still with us and man, I text him every day. There’s a lot of legends that are still here, but we have to give respect to people that paved the way. Let me hear one time, for Terry Funk.”

CM Punk’s tribute to Terry Funk after #AEWCollision ❤️
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— Teffo (@Teffo_01) August 24, 2023