CM Punk Rumored To Be At This Week’s AEW Dynamite, Not The Elite

After making his return to the ring on Saturday night, CM Punk is now rumored to show up again this Wednesday on “AEW Dynamite,” per Fightful Select.

Punk turning up on Wednesday is not officially announced, but as of this past weekend those close to Punk had claimed he was planned to be part of the June 21 show, which also happens to be in Chicago. However, his possible appearance seems to mean that The Elite will not be present, as they’re not expected to be in Chicago later this week, which was also the case this past Saturday. 

“AEW Dynamite” takes place at the Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, but Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks have reportedly already done pre-tapes to ensure that they’re still part of the show without being in the arena physically. This will allow their angles to continue progressing with the trio currently feuding against Blackpool Combat Club while Omega has issues with Konosuke Takeshita and Will Ospreay as well. 

It has previously been reported that Punk and The Elite will be getting kept separate following their long-standing issues following the infamous ‘Brawl Out’ situation. There have been conflicting claims regarding a brand split, but it appears that Punk could end up floating between both shows, even though he is being pushed as the face of “Collision.” WBD officials have been expecting Punk to be part of “AEW Dynamite,” which could be why he is turning up. 

During his promo segment on Collision, Punk took a not-so-subtle shot at The Young Bucks by saying that Warner Bros. Discovery President David Zaslav nicknamed him “one bill Phil,” due to the fact that he was authentic and draws money, unlike some “counterfeit bucks.” Punk seemed to give a mock apology by saying he is a “money maker” who isn’t “soft.” Punk said the money he makes isn’t “counterfeit bucks.”

Punk referred to the fact he never officially lost the AEW World Championship during his return promo on “Collision,” referencing current champion MJF in the process. Therefore that could be part of his appearance, meanwhile, AEW could look to set up a match for him at the upcoming AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event, with a dream match against KENTA being something that fans have speculated about.

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and eWn

Jim Ross Apologizes For How He Sounded At AEW Collision – Stepping Away To Heal

AEW commentator Jim Ross has apologized for his performance during the premiere episode of AEW Collision.

Ross appeared during last night’s episode of Collison, mere hours after suffering a fall that resorted in the legendary broadcaster sporting a nasty black eye.

Taking to Twitter, Ross apologized for the way he sounded on commentary and announced that he would be taking time off to heal.

Source: eWn

Preview For The Debut Of AEW Collision 6/17/2023

Tonight is the debut of AEW’s new weekly 2-hour TV show Collision on TNT at 8/7C from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

  • The Return of CM Punk
  • CM Punk & FTR vs. Samoa Joe & Bullet Club Gold
  • AEW TNT Championship: Wardlow (c) vs. Luchasaurus
  • Miro vs. TBA
  • Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale vs. Toni Storm & Ruby Soho
  • Buddy Matthews vs. Andrade El Idolo
  • We’ll hear from The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn

AEW Collision commentary team revealed

AEW CEO, President and General Manager took to Twitter on Friday, revealing the commentary team for Collision.

Khan has announced that Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuiness and Jim Ross will be the weekly announce team for Collision.

Collision debuts tonight, live on TNT, beginning at 8:00 pm ET.

The Official Theme Song For AEW Collision Revealed

AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter on Friday to announce that he’s licensed the music for Elton John’s 1973 hit “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” The song will serve as the official theme song for AEW Collision.

As we previously reported here on eWn, Tony Khan also announced that Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness will be doing commentary for AEW Collision with analysis from Jim Ross.

Khan wrote,

“It’s official!

Our opening theme for Saturday Night #AEWCollision on TNT is
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting by Sir Elton John!

While @FulhamFC and @WatfordFC will never be best mates on the pitch, you’re now a great friend to @AEW, @eltonofficial, and we salute you, Sir!”

Source: eWn

AEW Rampage Preview 6/16/2023

AEW has announced the lineup for tonight’s Rampage on TNT at 10/9C.

  • Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb & Kyle Fletcher vs. Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor & Rocky Romero
  • Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Karen Jarrett vs. Mark Briscoe, Papa Briscoe & Aubrey Edwards
  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bandido
  • Taya Valkyrie vs. Trish Adora

The Updated AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II Lineup – 5 Huge Matches Set

Following this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, we now have five matches announced for the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II pay-per-view event, which takes place on June 25th from Toronto, Canada.

The updated AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II card below:

AEW World Championship Match:
MJF (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP United States Championship Match:
Kenny Omega (c) vs. Will Ospreay

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match:
SANADA (c) vs. Jungle Boy Jack Perry

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada

AEW International Championship Match:
Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

AEW Dynamite Preview 6/14/2023

All Elite Wrestling returns to the place where it all began as AEW Dynamite will emanate from the Capital One Arena in the nation’s capital Washington, D.C. To commemorate the AEW’s flagships show’s return to the site of its first episode.

  • AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF vs. Adam Cole
  • AEW Women’s Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Skye Blue
  • TNT Championship: Wardlow (c) vs. Jake Hager
  • The Elite (Hangman Page & The Young Bucks) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)
  • Sting, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy & Keith Lee vs. Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland, Brian Cage, Kaun & Toa Liona)
  • Sammy Guevara returns

Tony Khan Addresses Whether AEW Will Have A Brand Split

In a new interview with Rasslin, AEW President Tony Khan was asked about the rumored brand split ahead of the June 17th launch of Collision.

According to multiple reports, AEW wants the brand split for Dynamite and Collision due to CM Punk, who is slated to be the top star for Collision, as he has heat with several wrestlers on the roster.

“I am going to feature certain talent on certain shows, but I haven’t drawn any hard lines or locked us into any kind of split of a roster,” Khan said (h/t Fightful). “I think people are gonna be featured on certain shows, but I also think that gives us a great opportunity to showcase certain wrestlers on both Dynamite and Collision at certain times and certain stories that can cross the shows. I think the champions of AEW will be the champions on every show, and frankly, every promotion in the world. We’re not shy about the AEW wrestlers going out and taking on the top stars, top competition from other companies.”

“The roster we have is so strong, I believe we have so many great wrestlers, it’s impossible to showcase them all in three hours of television,” he added. “Now, it’s a much better opportunity with five hours of television. Across five hours of television, we can really utilize the roster much more frequently and utilize our great wrestlers more than they’ve ever been used before, so I’m very excited.”

Source: eWn

BJ Whitmer Fired by AEW After His Arrest on Domestic Violence Charges

AEW producer BJ Whitmer was arrested on June 4 in Boone County, Kentucky for first-degree strangulation and second-degree burglary and bond was set for him at $25,000. Due to the arrest and the charges, he has been terminated from his job at All Elite Wrestling. 

AEW’s full statement is below:

“B.J. Whitmer has been terminated following his arrest on domestic violence charges. While talent and staff are ultimately responsible for their own personal actions, this behavior is intolerable within AEW. AEW has reached out to offer support to those impacted by his behavior.”

Source: WrestlingNews.co