It was brought up that CM Punk was listed as one of the featured wrestlers for the show in an earlier draft of the AEW Collision press release.
It was then assumed that a last-minute decision had been made to announce Punk at a later time, perhaps during tonight’s AEW Dynamite or as a surprise on the first show on June 17.
Punk was not mentioned in the final press release, and there has been no discussion of Punk on the AEW social media pages. The names Thunder Rosa, Miro, Samoa Joe, Miro, and Powerhouse Hobbs are being pushed by AEW instead.
When ComicBook.com’s Connor Casey contacted Warner Bros. Discovery, the company responded, “CM Punk is not affiliated with TNT’s AEW Collision.”
It’s possible that this is a strategy to lower expectations when/if Punk is officially announced. For what it’s worth, some AEW members have been expecting Punk’s comeback, so we’ll see.
A new TV deal was yet another thing that went unannounced. It is important to note that the majority of the discussion about a new contract took place on social media, and nobody who is directly affiliated with WBD and/or AEW has announced the impending announcement of a TV deal. Since the Collision show will cost AEW more money, one would assume that AEW will receive a higher payment.
A brand split was also rumored, but according to AEW sources, it’s not a hard split and fans will see some wrestlers on both shows while others will be featured more prominently on one particular show. As usual, plans are subject to change.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
