Tony Khan Expects “Very Positive Reaction” For CM Punk

CM Punk is on his way back to AEW, and Tony Khan expects him to be welcomed back with open arms.

Back in April, it was reported that CM Punk would at long last be making his return to AEW for the first time his his participation in the now-infamous All Out brawl with The Elite. His return was briefly in question after a disagreement over the return of Ace Steel to the company, but Tony Khan officially announced that Punk would be part of the debut of the new Saturday night program called Collision, which is set to emanate from the United Center in Chicago on June 17th.

Speaking with Brandon Walker on a recent episode of Barstool Rasslin’, Khan spoke about the excitement surrounding Punk’s return and the upcoming main event that will see Punk team with longtime friends FTR to take on the team of Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Samoa Joe.

“It’s very exciting. CM Punk’s been out injured since All Out, and he had a triceps injury in the main event match. We have not seen him in a long time. I’m very excited about his return to the ring. He’s one of the biggest names in AEW, he’s a top star. He’s one of the biggest names in all of wrestling. One of his greatest rivals in his entire career is Samoa Joe. I’m very excited to feature Samoa Joe on Collision also. I think it’s very interesting they’ll be on opposite sides of this match.

“It’s also really cool that the AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR are gonna be featured here on Collision and across all AEW programming, and FTR certainly gonna be showcased alongside CM Punk. I think they’re a great trio. I’m really excited to have them in the first main event with CM Punk and FTR taking on Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Juice Robinson.”

Continuing, Khan was asked how he believes fans will react to the polarizing Punk’s return. The AEW President had this to say:

“Well, I think it’ll be very exciting to see how the fans react, but I expect a very positive reaction, particularly in Chicago for the first episode. I think then, going forward, CM Punk’s one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, so certainly he’s gonna get a great reaction.

“Depending on who his opponent and the type of reaction he’s trying to get, I expect CM Punk to connect with the crowd as well as anybody in the entire pro wrestling business. He had an amazing connection with the fans, and I think that’s part of his longevity and his mystique is his amazing connection with the crowd. CM Punk’s a really great wrestler, and I’m very excited to have him back in AEW, starting this Saturday night on TNT on AEW Collision.”

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h/t Fightful