On June 17, AEW is set to launch a new Saturday night show called Collision on TNT. Dynamite remains the flagship show, and while Rampage has steadily lost viewers and its reason for being since launching, it still started off with a bang.
That was thanks to the AEW debut of CM Punk, a moment that got fans to take the show seriously and even made it a rival to SmackDown for a time.
With the first episode of Collision set to hail from Chicago, it's been widely reported that it's there we'll see Punk make his AEW return. We've previously heard that the hope is he can be separated from those he's had issues with in the company, presumably meaning he would be the top star of this show and Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks would remain on Dynamite.
Now, Fightful Select reports that, "there are already major plans and a marquee match tentatively scheduled for the Collision show, with CM Punk pushing for a huge match early on in his return."
Earlier this year, we heard that the plan is for Punk to feud with Chris Jericho (assuming the two men can put their own differences to one side), though this latest story claims that the Best in the World is pushing for another opponent for his return.
Looking back at who he's previously expressed interest in working with, Bryan Danielson could be a likely possibility.
Regardless, Punk is unlikely to be relegated solely to Collision and it sounds like he'll also appear on Dynamite (he is, after all, a ratings draw for the company), while The Elite will occasionally be part of Collision.
Just not at the same time, presumably.
Moving forward, it also seems that while most episodes of this new show will tape on a Saturday, AEW is planning to potentially record it in advance on Thursdays, using the same building as Dynamite the night before.
Stay tuned for more on CM Punk as we have it.