CM Punk Accepts Samoa Joe's Challenge To Wrestle At AEW All In

CM Punk and Samoa Joe are officially set to bring their long and storied rivalry to the biggest stage it's ever played.

Saturday night's episode of "AEW Collision" opened with the Ring of Honor World Television Champion heading to the ring, presumably for a match. However, his opponent – a masked wrestler identified only as the Golden Vampire – attacked Joe during his entrance. It quickly became apparent that the Golden Vampire was, in fact, CM Punk. He took down Joe with the Go 2 Sleep, unmasked, and stated simply, "I accept." Moments later, it was announced that Punk and Joe will clash for Punk's "Real World Championship" at All In London.

Punk's words were in response to weeks of Joe publicly challenging him to a match over recent weeks. Joe has been stewing since Punk defeated him in the semifinals of the Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament on the July 8 episode of "Collision." Of course, the rivalry between Punk and Joe dates back much further than that. Their battles in Ring of Honor and across the U.S. independent scene became legendary among fans during the early to mid-2000s.

None of their previous meetings occurred in a venue comparable to Wembley Stadium in London, England. More than 80,000 tickets to the event have already been sold, with AEW threatening to take the crown of the highest paid attendance for a professional wrestling event in history.