More than seven years after his well-documented WWE departure, CM Punk enjoyed a memorable return to the ring at Sunday's AEW All Out pay-per-view.

CM Punk defeated Darby Allin via pinfall in his AEW debut match; this was his first wrestling bout since the 30-man Royal Rumble on Jan. 26, 2014. Before Monday Night Raw aired the following night, CM Punk walked out of the WWE and never worked for them again.

During an interview on Moose & Maggie on WFAN Sports Radio 101.9FM/660AM New York, CM Punk revealed one significant difference between WWE and AEW:

"I never got any time off the entire time I was there. There was a point I was begging for time off, and here I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. I feel like if I tell Tony (Khan), he’s already asked me. We were out to dinner the one night he goes 'do you guys plan on going on vacation any time soon?', I was like ‘I just got here'. It’s much appreciated…This isn’t harp on where I used to work, but when I do media and stuff like that it comes up.

"I would not have stopped. I would not have taken myself out of that bad situation until I did. I had to break that cycle, because no one in a position of power there would have stepped in. Everything is just different now. I realize I can be happy, and I can be a pro wrestler, and I can still do movies, television, MMA commentary, and be a great husband — which is the number one thing I’m trying to do."

CM Punk made his highly-anticipated debut for AEW at The First Dance on Aug. 20 in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. He and the aforementioned Allin subsequently agreed to a match at All Out, which lasted 16:40. After the bout, Sting entered the ring and congratulated CM Punk on his hard-fought victory.

The two-time Money in the Bank winner recently claimed that WWE didn't give him any time off following elbow and knee surgeries. Despite willingness from Triple H and Stephanie McMahon to work with him again, CM Punk made it clear that a return to WWE wasn't a legitimate option.

RELATED: CM Punk Sees The Parallels Between AEW And WCW But Thinks “This Is Bigger"

16 days after CM Punk made his AEW debut, the company brought in two more former major WWE superstars: Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan in WWE), who both showed up at the end of the Kenny Omega-Christian Cage main event.

So Far, So Good

CM Punk displayed practically zero ring rust in his first match with AEW. The wrestling legend endured a lengthy journey to get back to the squared circle, and so far, his early run in AEW has been nothing short of a tremendous success.

The best part? CM Punk is only just getting started now. With Danielson and Cole now in the fold, AEW has plenty of talent and star power to really push WWE over the long run.