Tony Khan shares his excitement about CM Punk's return and discusses how he thinks fans will react to the former AEW World Champion.
Punk has been absent from AEW since AEW All Out 2022. He defeated Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Championship, but he suffered a torn triceps during the match. Punk then got into a physical altercation with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson). Everyone involved was suspended and stripped of their titles. While Omega and the Young Bucks have returned, Punk has remained absent. After months of speculation, Tony Khan finally confirmed that Punk will return on the premiere of AEW Collision on June 17.
Speaking with Brandon Walker on Barstool' Rasslin, Khan shared his thoughts on Punk's upcoming return and emphasized his excitement.
“It’s very exciting. CM Punk’s been out injured since All Out, and he had a triceps injury in the main event match. We have not seen him in a long time. I’m very excited about his return to the ring. He’s one of the biggest names in AEW, he’s a top star. He’s one of the biggest names in all of wrestling. One of his greatest rivals in his entire career is Samoa Joe. I’m very excited to feature Samoa Joe on Collision also. I think it’s very interesting they’ll be on opposite sides of this match. It’s also really cool that the AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR are gonna be featured here on Collision and across all AEW programming, and FTR certainly gonna be showcased alongside CM Punk. I think they’re a great trio. I’m really excited to have them in the first main event with CM Punk and FTR taking on Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Juice Robinson," Khan said.
Khan continued by noting that, for the fans who wanted to see Punk return, he's doing it in a special way, as it will be on the premiere of a new show, which will be held in his hometown of Chicago. He again stated that it will be exciting, and he stated that it will be really cool.
"I think for the fans who wanted to see CM Punk return, he’s doing it in a grand fashion, and it’s gonna be really exciting in such a big main event of such a huge show in his hometown, Chicago, for the debut of a new show, Saturday Night Collision. I think it’s gonna be really cool," Khan said.
Khan was asked whether he has an idea as to how fans will respond to Punk upon his return. The AEW CEO stated that it will be exciting to see how fans react to him, but he expects to see a positive response, especially for the first show in Chicago. More generally, he noted that Punk connects with the crowd in a remarkable way, and he'll definitely get a reaction.
“Well, I think it’ll be very exciting to see how the fans react, but I expect a very positive reaction, particularly in Chicago for the first episode. I think then, going forward, CM Punk’s one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, so certainly he’s gonna get a great reaction. Depending on who his opponent and the type of reaction he’s trying to get, I expect CM Punk to connect with the crowd as well as anybody in the entire pro wrestling business. He had an amazing connection with the fans, and I think that’s part of his longevity and his mystique is his amazing connection with the crowd. CM Punk’s a really great wrestler, and I’m very excited to have him back in AEW, starting this Saturday night on TNT on AEW Collision," Khan said.
On the June 17 episode of AEW Collision, Punk will team up with FTR (Dax Harwood and Cahs Wheeler) to face Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Juice Robinson.
Kris Statlander recently shared her thoughts on Punk's return. Click here to see what she had to say.
Billy Gunn has said he doesn't think CM Punk is as toxic as everyone else seems to believe. Check out his comments here.
Click here to check out the card for the June 14 episode of AEW Dynamite. Fightful will have live coverage of the show as it airs.
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