AEW Collision Will Reportedly Premiere At United Center, Feature CM Punk Appearance

It seems AEW will be returning to an iconic Chicago-area venue for next month's debut of "AEW Collision." PWInsider Elite is now reporting that tonight's "AEW Dynamite" will feature the announcement of the United Center as the host of the new show's premiere on June 17. There will be no official word on Punk's involvement, but recent reports regarding a backstage blow-up between Punk and AEW have reportedly been "overblown." The former AEW World Champion is now fully expected to appear on the "Collision" debut.

Following the United Center debut, "Collision" will hold tapings in cities such as Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Newark, New Jersey in the weeks that follow. Stars advertised for the show include Samoa Joe, Andrade El Idolo, Thunder Rosa, and Miro, among others. Reports of a possible brand split have persisted in recent weeks, but it's still unclear whether or not AEW will be instituting anything like that when their new series premieres.

"Collision" was officially announced last week, with many in the industry expecting Punk to be a part of that announcement. However, the AEW star was reportedly removed from marketing materials hours before the announcement, with his name slipping through on one press email sent out by Warner Bros. Discovery. Later that day, a WBD representative released a comment stating that Punk was not affiliated with "Collision" – a remark that sources at WBD would apparently later regret. Despite all this, and reports of a disagreement over the employment of Punk's friend and former AEW producer Ace Steel, it now appears that Punk and AEW are set to work together moving forward.