With only a few days left until AEW: Double or Nothing, you would think that all eyes would be on the main event picture heading into tonight’s Dynamite. And while there is some interest in the Four Pillars match this Sunday, many will be tuning in tonight to find out which city will host the first-ever AEW: Collision. For some time now, the debut location for the event has been rumored to be The United Center in Chicago, a fitting backdrop for a returning CM Punk, if he is coming back into the fold.
PWInsider is reporting that Tony Khan will indeed announce The United Center as the host city for AEW: Collision’s first episode. However, he will likely not announce Punk’s inclusion as part of the event, leaving room for comeback buzz akin to Punk’s initial return to pro wrestling on the second-ever AEW: Rampage, also at The United Center.
It is also reiterated that The Second City Saint is expected to be part of AEW: Collision, and reports that there were issues between Punk and AEW this past week are overblown. This is in line with what we have been reporting here at Haus of Wrestling, that communication has been open and that Punk and Khan’s relationship is on solid footing.
What Punk will be doing when he returns to action is still very much up in the air. Chris Jericho and Punk met for a one-on-one meeting recently, and it reportedly went well. While many have speculated that the two former AEW World Champions will feud once Punk is back in the mix, there is also buzz that Punk has been lobbying to work with ROH Television Champion Samoa Joe in some capacity.
There had been speculation that AEW had earmarked Daily’s Place as a backup venue in case things with Punk fell apart. On yesterday’s Haus of Wrestling episode, available at Premier Streaming Network and the Haus of Wrestling podcast feed, Grapsody’s Righteous Reg dispelled the rumor, noting he had personally looked into it and found there was no truth to it.