Before AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan officially announced Collision, the promotion reportedly planned for a hard brand split between its two main weekly shows. While the press release announcing Collision’s official launch identified select talent that would appear on the show might be interpreted as a step toward a brand split, nothing confirmed it as AEW’s plan.
With an expanding talent roster that only grew this week with Aussie Open’s arrival, a brand split would allow more wrestlers time to shine. When asked about this potential plan on his Double or Nothing conference call Thursday, Khan said he has been “intentionally secretive” about who will appear on Collision.
“I haven’t given a lengthy explanation yet for what I’m planning regarding the future of the roster and how people will be allocated across Dynamite and Collision and our other shows,” Khan said. “It’s a great question, certainly. I can see why wrestling fans all over the world would be interested and curious about that. That’s frankly by design that we want to build curiosity and get people wondering exactly what you’re asking, ‘What’s the future of the AEW roster, and what does this all mean going forward after Double or Nothing?’
“It’s a really good question and something we’ll be excited to follow up on.”
AEW has confirmed that Collision’s first show will take place at the United Center in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago, continuing speculation that Punk will headline the event, although his return has not yet been officially announced.
When asked about rumors of who will or won’t be at the show, and if he will announce things closer to the premiere date, Khan said he’s purposely acting coy about his plans.
“I have been a little intentionally secretive about where this is all going,” Khan said. “I do plan on rolling out more information as we get closer to the launch of Collision, but right now, I think we built great anticipation. I expect great sales for the first event at the United Center. I’m hoping that will lead to a lot of momentum on Saturday for Collision.”
It hints that more Collision announcements lie ahead, whether it’s Punk’s return, more signings or a declaration about a potential brand split. Either way, Khan clearly has more up his sleeves, and with three weeks until the new show’s debut, he will have every chance to build more anticipation.