It’s Wednesday, you know what that means: AEW Dynamite, and the latest batch of backstage updates regarding CM Punk and the company’s impending Saturday show, Collision.
Fightful has released a new, lengthy report looking at the situation regarding AEW, Punk, and Collision, and is offering some insight while falling short of confirming anything is set in stone. One of the more notable aspects discussed is the dollar figure that AEW could receive from Warner Brothers Discovery when their new TV rights deal is finalized. When packaging together Dynamite, Rampage, and the new Collision program, it looks like Tony Khan could be receiving a billion-dollar deal, most likely stretched out over several years. Haus of Wrestling has also heard the billion-dollar figure from a source we spoke with but has not yet confirmed it.
The deal, if it comes together, would be akin to the one WWE made with FOX in 2018, and began in 2019, which saw them receive a billion dollars over a five-year period for Smackdown. That huge sum of money may be why it has recently looked like an “all hands on deck” scenario for the promotion, with Khan pulling out all the stops to impress executives and secure as much money as he can. One of the pulled-out stops looks to be CM Punk, who brings a lot of eyeballs to the product but still has issues with The Elite backstage.
It doesn’t look as if Punk will be feuding with The Elite when he returns to television because the two sides have reportedly not spoken since AEW All Out. The same does not appear to be true for Punk and Jericho, who reportedly had a sit-down meeting recently that was said to go well.
Many speculated that the two men could be working together when Punk returns to TV but Fightful’s latest report indicates The Second City Saint is pushing for someone else to have his comeback feud against. This is the same thing that Haus of Wrestling has been hearing for a few weeks now, and have spoken regularly about on our Premier Streaming Network show.
Regarding AEW Rampage and ROH’s future, it looks like Rampage will be taking on a WWE Heat vibe, which would seem to indicate lower card talents putting on great matches. As for ROH, that product will likely feature top independent talent and serve as a place to give opportunities to those Khan is interested in bringing to AEW.
Some members of the AEW roster may be getting more time with Collision on the way. While it doesn’t sound like there will be a hard roster split between the two main AEW shows, talents that have been sidelined for a while may be getting brought back and could help to fill out the shows. They have not been told that yet, but many believe that to be the case.