PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

LOOKING AT THE AEW COLLISION ATMOSPHERE, CM PUNK, A WAY TO SHOWCASE AEW'S YOUNGER TALENT AND MORE

Saturday nights for me just got even better. As a fan of wrestling for the past 16 or 17 years, I am always ecstatic when there is more wrestling to watch. I was stoked when it was announced that AEW would have a weekly Saturday night program. Here are just a few thoughts that I have about the debut of Collision along with what I like to see for the future of this show and the future of AEW moving forward. 

CM Punk

After 9 months of going back and forth in the madness that is CM Punk, we finally got to see the return of the self-proclaimed “King.” He certainty did not miss a beat with his promo with clear shots taken at The Elite and MJF. It was a classic CM Punk pissed off promo. There are a lot of direction that AEW could take with Punk. I think it is good to start him off with a familiar foe in Samoa Joe. It’s a good opponent to get the ring rust off and would sell quite a few tickets once the two rivals face off in a singles match. I would love to see a three-way for the world title with Punk, MJF and Eddie Kingston at some point. I believe though that Kingston should be the one to take the belt from MJF. 

The Atmosphere

I like how this show felt. This debut edition reminds me a lot of what I grew up watching. That would be the ruthless aggression era. A lot of hungry talent was on display in these two hours. Just straight up wrestling. Every match had a purpose and felt fresh on this show. I like the mix of veterans as well with Punk, Samoa Joe, and Christian. My only complaint was that there was not a hook for next week. I do think it is important to sell the viewers for next week. It would have been nice if Punk would have maybe addressed Samoa Joe and Bullitt Club. What is his reason for working with them in his return match? 

Moving Forward 

As I mentioned there is a lot of hungry young talent in AEW. For years, I have really wanted to see a Young Lion Cup in AEW, like how there is NJPW. I think it would be a brilliant way to showcase talent such as HOOK, Daniel Garcia, Ethan Page, Swerve Strickland and many more. I hope that the Owen Hart Tournament will also be a way to showcase those that we do not see a ton of. I think these two hours on Saturday night would be a great format for a Young Lion Cup. It could even be something for Rampage to revamp that program. It should be a solid summer ahead for AEW with events such as Forbidden Door and All In. I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Collision. Saturday night is definitely alright for fighting in my book at least. 

Follow me on Twitter for more thought on AEW and pro wrestling: @cmattingly97

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet