In recent months, AEW has experienced some mammoth successes, including selling more than 60,000 tickets for All In at Wembley Stadium. However, the promotion has lost some momentum on the domestic front, as evidenced by topsy-turvy TV ratings and mixed reactions to the general product. Furthermore, AEW has reportedly struggled to sell tickets for upcoming “Collision” dates, revealing that anticipation for the brand-new show might not be as high as the top brass at Warner Bros. Discovery wants it to be.

Tony Khan’s recent announcement about “Collision” debuting in Chicago more or less confirmed that CM Punk was going to be part of the first episode, but for a few days, it seemed that Khan was employing the same tactic that was used to hype Punk’s initial AEW debut in 2021 — a smart promotional campaign that created just the right amount of intrigue to supplement wrestling’s worst-kept secret. Fans won’t get to enjoy that excitement this time around, despite rumors that Punk’s name and likeness had been pulled from the original “Collision” announcement to maintain just such an illusion.

Khan flat-out stating that Punk will be at “Collision” indicates that he doesn’t want to take any chances. Tickets need to be sold, and AEW’s head honcho wants people to tune into the company’s new flagship weekly series. Only time will tell if spoiling the surprise was worth it, but it comes off as a last-ditch attempt to guarantee results and proves that, now more than ever, AEW needs CM Punk.