AEW's Jimmy Jacobs Recalls Early Days Of ROH With CM Punk

Before establishing himself as a main-eventer in WWE and AEW, CM Punk was an integral part of ROH and paved the way for many. According to Jimmy Jacobs on "Developmentally Speaking," Punk opened the door for his eventual ROH signing. Punk didn't like Jacobs at first, but took a shine to him and Alex Shelley after seeing their work. "I'd known CM Punk since I was like 16, he didn't particularly like me, but once Shelley and I started working for Ian, Punk took a liking to us." Following this, Jacobs says Punk asked them for a wrestling tape, which he eventually gave to the then-head of talent relations, Gabe Sapolsky.

Despite Sapolsky liking the tape, he opted not to sign Jacobs and Shelley at first, but the two ultimately gained a shot when Sapolsky booked Chris Sabin for a show, who requested the two men. "He told Gabe and Gabe was like 'Oh yeah, I've seen their stuff, they're good, I'll put them on the main show!' So, me and Shelly, and BJ Whitmer and Tony Mameluke had a four-way in Philadelphia."

Jacobs claims he never had aspirations to go to WWE until later in his career. "It wasn't until I was maybe 22 or 23 that I was like 'Oh, I might make it to WWE.' I was on a trajectory that probably would've hit that but the trajectory plateaued and it never happened." Despite this, he listed his four-way match in Philadelphia and winning the ROH Tag Team Championship with Whitmer as special moments in his ROH run. Lastly, Jacobs recalled how ROH was without Punk, and noted that his exit left a hole that Jacobs filled without intending to. "I had my own brand, right, I had the Ballad of Lacy and the Age of the Fall so I was the character that fit into that role."

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