AEW Collision Ratings Do Strong Numbers For CM Punk’s Return

Unlike CM Punk’s relationship with The Elite, AEW Collision is off to a smooth start.

AEW Collision drew 816,000 viewers for its debut episode on Saturday night, doing a 0.33 in the 18-49 demographic. The return of “One Bill Phil” saw Collision finish No. 3 on cable.

AEW Collision marked the radioactive return of CM Punk after a nine-month hiatus following his infamous implosion at the AEW All Out Media Scrum. “I’m the one true genuine article in a business full of counterfeit bucks,” Punk said during his opening promo in a veiled shot at the Young Bucks.

After suffering a triceps injury, which physically kept him out of action during that time, Punk’s viral shoot promo turned ugly when the former AEW world champion got into a real-life backstage brawl with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Legal drama has ensued, and in many ways AEW Collision came about due to Tony Khan’s decision to move forward with CM Punk in a way that would keep Punk and the Young Bucks apart. Punk will reportedly appear on AEW Dynamite tonight in Chicago, where The Elite is not expected to appear live.

AEW Collision Ratings | Saturday, June 17, 2023

• AEW Collision Total Viewership: 816,000
• AEW Collision 18-49 Rating: 0.33

AEW Collision will be a tough sell on Saturday nights, where it will encounter weekly competition from major sports, particularly college football and the NFL during the fall. Collision is also expected to face several preemptions. Starting strong was a must, and with 816,000 viewers in its debut episode, Collision’s numbers mirror that of AEW Dynamite, which 832,000 viewers last week. Collision’s 0.33 rating in 18-49 tied or beat all but one episode of AEW Dynamite.

It’ll be interesting to see how AEW Collision and AEW Dynamite ratings compare over the long haul, especially during weeks where CM Punk only appears on Collision. The civil war between Dynamite and Collision could end up bringing out the best out of all parties involved, assuming this doesn’t end in yet another implosion, which is always a possibility while working with CM Punk.

AEW Collision’s ticket sales have been scary low in the weeks since its announcement, but business has picked up in recent days.

“AEW has picked up on ticket sales, though, in a lot of markets since Saturday,” said Dave Meltzer said on “Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Wrestling Inc)”

“Ticket sales are up for several of the shows. Some of the Canadian shows are also having to do with lowering ticket prices. Hamilton and Toronto both lowered prices. I think they were doing four packs, where you could get four tickets for, like, 16.50 each. So that sold a decent amount of tickets.”

AEW Collision airs its second episode this Saturday at 8 pm EST/7 central, and it’ll be a litmus test as to where the number will settle in the weeks to come.