Hall of Famer on if AEW is dependent on CM Punk to draw ratings (Exclusive)

CM Punk should take it upon himself to bump up AEW ratings, according to wrestling journalist Bill Apter. Punk is no doubt the star attraction and quite possibly the biggest name when it comes to AEW and his presence will drag in fans regardless of what age they are.

On the latest episode of UnSKripted by Sportskeeda, the wrestling veteran spoke to Dr. Chris Featherstone and suggested that the Second City Saint should make it his responsibility to drive up the numbers of the product.

“Now that CM Punk has been there for a few weeks, it's almost dependent upon him to raise the rankings, ratings, rather. And some of the shows that he hasn’t been on have been doing OK.” [12:44 - 13:10]

Apter is right in more ways than one. Given that Punk was one of the sole reasons to keep the WWE ratings afloat in the early 2010s when the McMahon-led behemoth was going through a lull, it is more than possible for him to do the same for Tony Khan’s company.

Granted that is only going to happen if they put out compelling storylines, the presence of CM Punk will no doubt boost the ratings and help AEW navigate what seems like uncertain times at the moment.

CM Punk and Samoa Joe’s renewed rivalry could bump up ratings

CM Punk and Samoa Joe went head to head in the latest installment of their storied rivalry last week on AEW Collision. While Joe had the upper hand given his size, Punk was able to roll him up for the pin and in the process get his first ever win over the Samoan Submission Machine.

After the match, Punk and Joe appeared to put their rivalry aside and decided to hug it out in the middle of the ring only for the latter to blindside Punk and lock in the sleeper hold. After holding onto Punk for a few seconds, Joe managed to put him to sleep and appeared to yell the words, "I've always been better than you."

Joe’s latest actions have added a new layer to their already bitter rivalry and if Tony Khan can work on this feud, then AEW’s ratings will no doubt go up.

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