Questions have arisen regarding whether AEW will implement a brand split to accommodate its large roster across two major shows as it prepares to premiere Collision on June 17. The initial press release included wrestlers who will feature, including Samoa Joe and Thunder Rosa, with CM Punk later announced as a main player, so some type of roster divide seemed possible.
AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan had also teased that he was excited to discuss something more, potentially hinting at the possibility of a brand split.
Just days away from the first episode of Collision, Khan addressed the topic with Brandon Walker on Barstool Rasslin’, stating that while certain talent will feature on certain shows, there is no locked-in roster split (h/t Fightful for transcription).
“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. 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,” Khan said.
Khan also said that AEW can utilize its roster better with five hours of television, implying that Rampage will remain important.
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. 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,” Khan said.
AEW will have plenty of time to utilize its roster and provide more people with a chance to showcase their talents. This should create more storylines and opportunities. It remains to be seen how this will affect the company’s pay-per-views, considering those shows already run about four hours apiece. However, with multiple major shows taking place this summer, we’ll soon have an answer to this.