Updated details regarding plans for CM Punk’s return and the new AEW television show

In March, it was noted that AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery were finalizing a deal to add a third AEW show to the schedule and it would likely air on Saturdays. There was reportedly talk of having the rumored Saturday show feature CM Punk with AEW’s roster being largely split.

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com provided the latest details regarding Punk’s return. According to Meltzer, Punk is slated to return on June 17th 2023 at the United Center in Chicago for the debut of AEW’s new Saturday show. It’s believed that the weekly show will be called Collision based on a recent trademark filing.

Meltzer noted that the decision to bring back Punk was made several weeks ago although there was said to have been a snag two weeks ago that was seemingly worked out. According to Meltzer, Punk was considered “extremely important” in making the deal and multiple people have claimed that Warner Bros. Discovery wanted Punk as the star of the Saturday show but there were apparently others that were told differently.

Meltzer wrote the following regarding the importance of the deal…

“If AEW only makes what Discovery has been paying for first run shows as a general rule ($500,000 per hour in general is what Discovery pays for first-run programming), that’s $52 million per year and that’s a game changing financial deal for AEW.”

Meltzer added that the deal for AEW’s new show is not finalized but an official announcement is expected soon and the United Center has been booked.