New Report Casts Doubt On AEW Instituting Hard WWE-Style Brand Split With Collision

Despite an earlier report stating that some talent in AEW were under the belief that the company would be instituting a "firm" brand split in the near future, Mike Johnson of PWInsider Elite is reporting that's not the case. Instead, some talent are said to be exclusive to the newly-announced "AEW Collision" on Saturday nights while others stay on "AEW Dynamite," and many will float between both shows based on storyline needs. A hard brand split between "Dynamite" and "Collision" was reportedly never even under consideration.

As announced this morning, "Collision" will debut on TNT on June 17. Though no official announcement has been made, the first episode is believed to be centered around the return of CM Punk, possibly with the title "The Second Coming." Though Punk's impending return has been heavily rumored for months, there's been no acknowledgment from either AEW or Punk himself that anything is happening. Still, reports have circulated regarding his possible first opponent. While Chris Jericho was pitched as an idea, it sounds as though Punk has put forward his old rival Samoa Joe as an option.

In addition to the company's usual stars, members of the AEW roster who have been largely absent in recent months, such as Miro, Thunder Rosa, Andrade El Idolo, and Scorpio Sky, have all been prominently featured in "Collision" marketing so far. With just a month until the new show premieres, AEW President Tony Khan has teased that more information on the debut of "Collision" will be revealed tonight on "AEW Dynamite."