Though AEW still technically has to plan for Dynamite and Rampage on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, all eyes are firmly placed on Saturday, June 17th, when Collision, the promotion's second two-hour show, and third-overall weekly program, will debut with a special appearance from CM Punk live from the United Center in Chicago.

That's right, after nearly a year away, Punk will return to the screen, return to the ring, and maybe, just maybe, address what happened at the end of All Out 2022, when he tore his tricep, trashed pretty much everyone, and then got in a physical altercation with The Elite, who have been back in AEW since Full Gear 2022.

Discussing his excitement over Punk's return on Rasslin', Tony Khan noted the indearing popularity of Phil Brooks to professional wrestling fans and how that popularity can still be an incredible asset to AEW moving forward.

“It’s very exciting. CM Punk’s been out injured since All Out, and he had a triceps injury in the main event match. We have not seen him in a long time. I’m very excited about his return to the ring. He’s one of the biggest names in AEW, he’s a top star. He’s one of the biggest names in all of wrestling. One of his greatest rivals in his entire career is Samoa Joe. I’m very excited to feature Samoa Joe on Collision also. I think it’s very interesting they’ll be on opposite sides of this match. It’s also really cool that the AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR are gonna be featured here on Collision and across all AEW programming, and FTR certainly gonna be showcased alongside CM Punk. I think they’re a great trio. I’m really excited to have them in the first main event with CM Punk and FTR taking on Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Juice Robinson,” Khan said via Fightful.

“I think for the fans who wanted to see CM Punk return, he’s doing it in a grand fashion, and it’s gonna be really exciting in such a big main event of such a huge show in his hometown, Chicago, for the debut of a new show, Saturday Night Collision. I think it’s gonna be really cool.”

While watching Punk reunite with Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler under their CMFTR moniker will certainly be cool, as will be their match with Samoa Joe and “The Bang Bang Boys” of Bullet Club Gold, “Switchblade” Jay White” and “Rock Hard” Juice Robinson, what fans really want to see if how Punk will handle his return to television and if he will address the crowd both in Chicago and watching from home like he's become accustomed to doing: sitting in the middle of the ring with a hoodie on and a microphone in his hand. If TK opens up the show with “Cult of Personality” followed by a long talking segment, it could define the future of Collision, Punk, and AEW, period, one way or another.

Tony Khan believes AEW fans will embrace CM Punk once more.

Turning his attention from the literal to the more hypothetical, Tony Khan was asked about how he feels fans will react to Punk, Khan noted that he believes the reaction will likely be positive, especially on the first-ever edition of Collision, which is booked firmly in the middle of “CM Punk Country” at the United Center in Chicago.

“Well, I think it’ll be very exciting to see how the fans react, but I expect a very positive reaction, particularly in Chicago for the first episode. I think then, going forward, CM Punk’s one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, so certainly he’s gonna get a great reaction. Depending on who his opponent and the type of reaction he’s trying to get, I expect CM Punk to connect with the crowd as well as anybody in the entire pro wrestling business. He had an amazing connection with the fans, and I think that’s part of his longevity and his mystique is his amazing connection with the crowd. CM Punk’s a really great wrestler, and I’m very excited to have him back in AEW, starting this Saturday night on TNT on AEW Collision.”

Will AEW fans actually embrace Punk moving forward? Will some crowds boo “The Best in the World” while others cheer him on, or will the reaction be more uniform, with fans excited to see him back and open to giving him another chance even if they aren't ready to go all-in on the “Second City Saint” out of a fear of getting hurt once more? Fans will have to tune into Collision this Saturday and Collisions for weeks to come in order to find out; either way, it sounds like an entertaining way to spend a Saturday night.