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CM Punk took to his Instagram to share a heartfelt message after AEW Collision experienced a significant boost in ratings. Punk thanked the roster for their hard work and dedication.
AEW Collision, a primetime weekend wrestling show, has faced its fair share of skepticism since its launch in June. Since returning from injury, Punk has proudly identified himself as a "Collision guy," making appearances exclusively on the new show, with only one exception on Dynamite. This has led to him becoming the face of Collision.
According to Wrestlenomics, the July 29th episode of AEW Collision saw a considerable increase in viewership, pulling in 739,000 viewers with a .27 rating in the coveted 18 to 49 demographic.
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In his Instagram post, Punk praised his fellow "colliders" for their contributions to making AEW Collision a must-watch show. He acknowledged the hard work put in by the roster and thanked the fans for supporting the show.
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"Thank you colliders for engaging and making Collision a must watch show!" Punk wrote. "We appreciate the fans who let us entertain you on a Saturday night! The best is yet to come! Hard work works. Nobody works harder," Punk wrote.
Check out his story below:
Interestingly, AEW World Champion MJF and Adam Cole were not included in the post. The main event of the latest show featured MJF and Cole against FTR, which reportedly provided the peak viewership for the night, drawing 837,000 viewers.
CM Punk set to defend his world championship against Ricky Starks at AEW Collision this weekend
During the latest AEW Collision, CM Punk surprised fans by declaring himself the true AEW World Champion, showcasing the title he never lost but was stripped of due to injury and the controversy surrounding last year's All Out pay-per-view.
Ricky Starks, who has defeated Punk twice since his return, challenged him for the title. Punk accepted the challenge, and the two are set to clash once again on the August 5 edition of AEW Collision.
Punk will defend his self-proclaimed "real" AEW World Championship with WWE Hall of Famer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat serving as the special guest referee this weekend.
What are your thoughts on CM Punk calling himself the real world champion? Sound off in the comments section below.
