It was perhaps the worst-kept wrestling secret : a new AEW show confirmed finally-without CM Punk.
Fans have been expecting this news to drop for quite some time now.
We’ve long heard rumors of a new AEW show, along with a rough idea of when and where.
On top of that, the name isn’t news per se either.
It feels like the wrestling world has been expecting the new AEW show to be confirmed as AEW Collision for months now.
On Wednesday, the news was indeed confirmed as part of the Warner-Discovery television up-fronts.
For those unfamiliar with the up-fronts, this is when networks show off their upcoming fall lineups to potential advertisers and get the industry excited.
It is also a chance for networks to announce new shows.
As such, when it was time for the Warner team to talk new shows, it was time that the new AEW show was confirmed.
So…
New AEW Show Confirmed Finally-Without Punk
Again, finally is a bit tongue in cheek, because everyone knew this was coming, and knew what the name would be.
Now, or starting on June 17, wrestling fans will have a weekly show on Saturday evenings once again.
Growing up, Saturdays gave me WCW on I believe TBS. Sometimes a Saturday Night’s Main Event special too.
Now, for the first time in a while, weekly new content.
That was not even the biggest news, however.
Collision debuts June 17 from Chicago-also something we knew to expect.
But, as part of the rumors, the expectation has been that CM Punk would return to AEW at Collision, and in doing so, it would kick off some semblance of an AEW brand split.
During the show’s reveal, there was no mention of CM Punk at all…including the press release graphics.
Now, if Tony Khan wants to try and keep that return a surprise, I get it…even if it isn’t going to surprise anyone.
But, part of the idea of the up-front presentations is to generate buzz. If AEW had not only confirmed the new show, but made Punk’s return front and center?
Talk about buzz…there’d be tons of it for weeks leading to the debut.
This confirmation does leave me with some questions, however.
One, we know TNT broadcasts other live sporting events…so how often might Collision be bumped?
Two…it will be going head to head against WWE premium live events roughly once a month…that’s going to be interesting to watch.
