Tony Khan Says CM Punk Is "Very Important" To AEW
CM Punk is one of the most polarizing wrestlers to ever grace the sport. After an immensely successful (if not controversial) WWE career, CM Punk retired from wrestling and seemingly left the business for good. That all changed when he made his AEW debut in 2021 and immediately became one of the company's biggest draws. However, his comeback run was cut short due to an injury and backstage altercation with the Elite.
RELATED: Tony Khan Confirms He Has Spoken With Goldberg Amid AEW RumorsFor better or worse, CM Punk is set to make his AEW return on June 17, the premiere of AEW's new live show, AEW Collision.
Tony Khan Discusses CM Punk's Impact On AEW
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, AEW owner Tony Khan spoke about CM Punk's imminent return to wrestling. He mentioned that Punk is "very important" to the company.
We haven’t seen CM Punk in a long time, since All Out last September. He looked great in his last match. To the fans, he’s very important. He’s very important to the company, too. He’s been a big draw for us and historically throughout his career, and the launch of the new show happens to line up with the schedule on his rehab of his triceps injury.
Tony Khan went on to discuss how AEW Collision came to be; the show was Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's idea, and Khan was excited to help bring it to life.
We have an amazing opportunity with AEW on Saturday nights on TNT, starting June 17, and it was truly the brainchild of [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president] David Zaslav. He asked about more AEW, specifically Saturday nights, on TNT. When it was pitched to us by TNT, I was so excited. It’s so exciting the timing [of Punk’s return from injury] coincides with the launch of Collision.
AEW Collision will hold its first show in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago, Illinois. The show will also supposedly introduce a "roster split" for AEW talent, something the brand has never done before. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
