Let's try and categorize things a bit...
In Ring skill:
The psychology edge goes to Punk. Perhaps the thing that has improved most about Aries over the last three years or so is his ring psychology. His psychology during his second ROH title run and stretching into his current TNA run is ever strengthening and is far beyond his psychology in his first ROH title run; however, perhaps the thing that has always come most naturally to Punk as a wrestler is psychology, he is simply in a league shared by very few in the history of the business in that regard. Watching his ROH trilogy with Joe displays it perfectly, and some of his battles with Cena and Bryan over the last couple years are more fabulous examples.
As far as selling, the edge again belongs to Punk. Aries sells well in general, but can sometimes be a victim of his own willingness to take extreme bumps. To take some of the bumps he takes and continue to compete at a high level sometimes hurts suspended reality due to the fact that at times I think Aries may have legitimately near killed himself(the bump off the top buckle down into the guardrail against Bully at Sacrifice being a good example). Punk sells accumulated damage more consistently through a match then anyone in wrestling right now, and isn't as wreckless with his body as Aries.
Aries does make up alot of the slack though in other areas. Austin is far more fluid in his movements and he has a more diverse and aesthetically pleasing moveset. He is also more quick, explosive, and athletic than Punk and also has the repertoire of a true high-flyer, while Punk does not. He is also more intense in the ring.
Purely based on in-ring talent, they are very hard to seperate with each man's strengths being clear, but there superiority versus one another coming down more to style preference. Each is on the short list of best in the industry.
As far as mic skills:
Punk definitely has the higher upside when performing at the top of his game with the stick. When at his best Punk is as good as most anyone who's done it, and delivered one of the most memorable promo moments in history, with many more incredible displays of mic work prior, and especially in the year and a half since. But as stated Punk also relies heavily on pushing Kayfabe and fourth wall boundaries, something many others in the business are not permitted to do so blatantly by their promoters. He also has a tendency to fumble around with his words when he really gets going, and while occasionally he displays extremely sharp wit, at other times those witty retorts seem to elude him to a degree. Aries is also improving greatly on the mic in his latest TNA run, and lately displays a consistency that sometimes Punk does not. Aries is also very good at being not only the sacastic jerk, but also the cocky asshole and the intense maniac, and can flow through these different facets of his personality smoothly while never straying from character. Punk does have the slight edge here due to a career full of classic promo moments, but Aries is steadily catching up in overall ability to sell himself, a match, or a fued with his mic work.
Look would be the next criteria:
This one is tougher to evaluate. Aries has a very clear physique edge. The man is in phenomenal physical condition, and is impossibly muscled for a man with his frame. That is however necesary for him to keep himself believable inlight of his most major drawback as a professional wrestler- height. Right or wrong, some people are still going to have a hard time taking a 5'8'' wrestler seriously, so Aries has to supplement that by transforming himself into a physical bad ass, since he can't add inches in height in th gym. Punk on the other hand is not physically imposing in the slightest, but has a look that is very unique none-the-less. Punk's very recognizable tattoo's and iconic straight edge wrist-tape give him a look that is very distinctive, and being a half foot taller than Aries doesn't hurt in this comparison. Aries has the more believable look as an athletic competitior, but Punk's look probably stands out more.
Some other points:
Both men convey emotion very well in a non-verbal sense. When Aries wants to display anger, it is very evident, and he comes across quite scary. Punk conveys feelings of frustration and nervousness quite clearly through facial expression.
Both men come off very charismatic and magnetic, and easily manipulate a crowd managing to get over in a multitude of ways, even possesing that "Flair-like" ability to even draw heat and boos from a crowd of their own fans who admire and appreciate their work.
I also don't think its fair to use the quickness with which Aries rose through TNA's ranks as means to claim any advantage, seeing as how this was his third seperate stint with the company, and the first two could be classified as somewhat of failures, while Punk conversely got signed to WWE and steadily rose through the ranks, never taking a step back, and held multiple world titles along the way.
In conclusion... I realize I've written a book that I don't expect anyone will fully read only to come to a consensus that these two compare perhaps more favorably than any other two superstars who havr reached the top of mountain in recent memory, but neither truly stands out above the other. Hell, I myself can't even declare a favorite amongst the two and could waver on any given day. It really is a fascinating exercise of evaluation.
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