CM Punk has been out of action since September, but AEW looks to be preparing an explosive return.
The former AEW world champion has not been mentioned by the promotion since his backstage fight with executive vice presidents Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson after he made fiery comments about the trio, known as The Elite, in a post-show news conference at "All Out." The Sept. 4, 2022, incident has been called the "Brawl Out," and while The Elite are back on weekly television, Punk has been out nursing a reported arm injury, but there reportedly are still tensions between the parties.
Company founder and president Tony Khan's strategy reportedly is to debut a new show called "Collision," which will not only be where Punk will return but also be a show where he will be the main attraction. AEW's flagship show, "Dynamite," will be the home of The Elite and other talent that might have a problem with Punk returning to the company with little to no repercussions for his actions against the company's EVPs.
"Collison" is expected to debut Saturday, June 17. Khan teased a big announcement for next Wednesday, and with Warner Bros. Discovery holding their upfronts this month, AEW's business dealings are expected to be finalized. The first "Collison" event at United Center will be called "The Second Coming," according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter on Friday. Punk's AEW debut at "Rampage" on Aug. 20, 2021, was under the show title "The First Dance," so the company is really leaning toward announcing Punk's return without actually announcing it.
But with AEW likely undergoing a brand split of sorts with separate rosters for "Dynamite" and "Rampage," the question is who will be the focus of Punk's first feud.
"The talk is that CM Punk's first program would be with Samoa Joe, reprising their epic (Ring of Honor) program that ran from 2003 to 2005 that had six singles matches which had four wins by Joe and the two most famous matches were a pair of 60-minute draws in 2004," Meltzer wrote.
ROH is a separate entity owned by Khan, but wrestlers often have appeared in both ROH and AEW. Joe is the current ROH TV champion, and fans certainly would welcome a renewal of a feud between him and Punk. The feud also would highlight the pair's promo abilities, which will serve as a good barometer of where the fan base is at with Punk. Would they boo him because of all the backstage drama, or do they cheer him?
The latter would be the most ideal scenario for AEW because the company's best year was when Punk was the world champion.
The ROH TV title would serve as something to fight for rather than invent a new title that would rival MJF's world title reign. The only factor with Punk on his return run in AEW is how long things will last before tensions boil over again.
