Tony Khan addresses CM Punk's mixed reception following his AEW return

AEW president Tony Khan has opened up about how he feels about CM Punk getting a mixed reception from fans since his return.

Punk returned to AEW at the June 17 edition of Collision in Chicago and received a heroic welcome from his hometown. However, he has since gone on to be booed by several portions of the audience since venturing out of Chicago.

But how does the AEW president feel about it? Speaking on the Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan admitted that he wasn't surprised by the reaction, but feels that CM Punk has taken the booing in his stride.

“I wasn’t surprised about that at all given that we were in Canada and given some of the things that had happened in the lead up to the show and in particular since the last time he wrestled, so I think as we go on the road, we are going to get a lot of great responses, but just like a sports team, it depends on where you’re at. Some sports teams are really popular in home cities, and then when they go on the road, it depends, and definitely I thought this was a road game for him. He did great.” (H/T Wrestling News.co)

The former AEW World Champion has even been playing up to the reactions, even going as far as to do WWE legend Hulk Hogan's finishing move on both Collision and Forbidden Door.

CM Punk's next opponent has been confirmed!

This portion of the article will contain spoilers for the upcoming July 1 edition of AEW Collision, which was taped on June 29 and saw a significant development in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

CM Punk defeated Satoshi Kojima at Forbidden Door to advance to the semi-final stage of the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, with the former AEW World Champion knowing that he would have to face either Roderick Strong or ROH Television Champion Samoa Joe very soon.

The Second City Saint was on commentary for the match, which ended with Samoa Joe getting his hand raised. This means that Punk and Joe will wrestle on the July 8 edition of Collision, with the winner advancing to the final to face either Ricky Starks or Powerhouse Hobbs, who both won their first-round matches.

Who do you think will win the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament? Let us know in the comments section down below!