While the absence of CM Punk — who has a strong following despite his controversial antics — will undoubtedly hinder some elements of AEW, the overall nature of his tenure created more headaches than it was worth in the opinion of many within the industry. 

The Second City Saint” was responsible for a lot of AEW’s financial success in regards to ticket sales, merchandise, and pay-per-view buys, but Eric Bischoff believes his drawing power on “AEW Collision” might not be as valuable as some have claimed.

“I predicted it months ago … it opened up with 800,000 and before Punk got let go, it was bouncing around 400,000 or 500,000 viewers. It wasn’t like it was setting the world on fire to begin with and we all knew that when college football became a thing, it was gonna take another big hit,” he said. “I don’t think Punk’s departure ultimately will have as much of an impact on Collision as people think it did, because it didn’t have a positive impact on the show, to begin with… he wasn’t as big of a draw as people think he is.”

His abrupt departure has led to the likes of Jon Moxley and The Young Bucks — three men who had issues backstage with Punk — being featured on “Collision” in the past fortnight, with Punk not expected to return to AEW any time in the foreseeable future. 

Rumors of a potential WWE comeback has also been at the forefront of the news cycle, but at this stage, there has been no confirmation as to whether Triple H and Vince McMahon would welcome him back into the fold after a messy split in 2014.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Strictly Business” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.