AEW Collision must remain a show of opportunity without CM Punk

AEW Collision was originally built as a place for new AEW stars to get some shine with CM Punk and without him, it must remain a space where they get an opportunity in the spotlight.

All Elite Wrestling had an amazing and surprising week. From All In being the biggest show in professional wrestling history, to CM Punk’s firing, to All Out delivering on a spectacular showcase – the highs were high, and the lows were surprisingly low. However, the news of CM Punk’s firing will loom but it isn’t the death nail that some haters will push. Instead, this is a major opportunity for AEW, and with the right moves the company can keep this momentum rolling.

Many eyes are focusing on AEW Collision. A show that was molded to fit CM Punk, and many felt it was drastically different than AEW Dynamite. Punk’s fingertips were all over the show, all the way up to who could appear and who could not. But now he’s done with the company. That doesn’t mean fans should be concerned about the product, as Collision continues to be a space where the doors of opportunity should swing open.

Regardless of what some may think, the data proves that CM Punk is a massive draw. His presence has done figures for AEW since day one. And no one person can completely replace those types of numbers. Even if AEW went out of their way to sign Edge or Mercedes Mone to a long-term deal, it would be a lot of pressure to expect them to consistently pull in the same types of figures as one, Phil Brooks.

Here is where teamwork comes into play. AEW should not attempt to leverage just one name into a position to be their ratings savior. Instead, use the collective power within that entire roster to build a group of individuals who spark interest and draw ratings. CM Punk’s presence took up a lot of time on Collision, now is the opportunity to take that same time and dedicate it to individuals like Ricky Starks, or perhaps give the women’s division more room to thrive. There is a wealth of talent up and down that AEW roster, with each man and woman having the ability to capitalize on the opportunities that could open with this massive void at the top of the show.

AEW Collision cannot become AEW Saturday Rampage. Rampage started off hot, but once the stars stopped appearing it immediately felt like even less than a B show. With Collision being in an equally tough slot on Saturdays, Tony Khan must put the focus on this brand to make sure it remains a product that fans want to tune into weekly. Anything less will be met with criticism and dropping ratings across the board.

AEW can’t push one individual person as the “bastion of hope” to save television for AEW Collision. Instead, this needs to be done by committee, with multiple individuals getting their chance in the limelight to show that together, they can draw in just as much, if not more interest than one man from Chicago.