AEW fans may soon have to block off time on Saturday nights to keep up with everything All Elite.
Reports began circulating last month that AEW was going to get a third weekly TV show, and now some of the possible details are coming into focus. Andrew Zarian said on his most recent Mat Men podcast that the new show is likely to be called AEW Collision (a name the company filed a trademark for a while back) and that it may start in June with an official reveal in May.
“Here is what I understand. This show looks to be starting on June 17 in Chicago,” Zarian said (h/t Comicbook for the transcription). “A Saturday night show. I’m hearing it’s a two-hour show from 8-10 [pm EST] on Saturdays.”
An even more intriguing aspect of the new show is how it may tie into the return of CM Punk. Fightful Select (subscription required) said Zarian’s info matches what its been told and added that “CM Punk’s return is likely for either that date or that week’s Rampage, as things stand.”
The buzz is that the addition of Collision, or whatever the new show is called, will help AEW have a bit of a brand split the way WWE does with Raw and SmackDown. While WWE continues that split mostly to keep its two broadcast partners happy, AEW would be doing it in order to keep Punk away from talent who would prefer not to work with him after last year’s notorious post-All Out tirade and the backstage altercation it set off.
That could work as a way to make the best of a difficult situation, but there are some risks involved as well. There’s little question, however, that to make Collision seem like a must-see show on a tough night for television, AEW needs a compelling hook. Punk was one of its biggest draws prior to last year’s shenanigans, and it’s hard to imagine anyone with even the slightest interest in pro wrestling won’t tune in to see what he might do — or say — upon his return.
The launch of AEW’s new Saturday show figures to be a tremendous change to the way the company does business regardless of what happens with Punk. Currently, AEW has only one TV taping each week for Dynamite and Rampage, except for the occasional weeks where the latter is live. A second show would almost certainly mean a second weekly taping, along with the logistical costs and considerations that would entail.
In other words, it’s s big change, Punk or no Punk. AEW is already swinging for the fences in 2023 after announcing All In London at Wembley Stadium and signing former NJPW champion Jay White, so the Saturday show is just another sign of its overall ambitions. Don’t be surprised if an official confirmation of this particular initiative arrives in the next few weeks.