Tony Khan should announce former WWE Champion's return ahead of time, says Bully Ray

WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray is considered one of the biggest names to come from ECW. The veteran recently addressed the rumors of CM Punk's AEW return and explained how he would handle it.

AEW Collision has officially been announced after months of speculation, but surprisingly CM Punk's name is still not associated with the show. Several stars are slated to return as part of the show after months of absence. But Bully Ray believes The Second City Saint should be the show's poster boy.

On a recent Busted Open Radio podcast episode, the WWE veteran explained why fans should know beforehand about CM Punk's potential return.

"I would announce it," Bully Ray said. "Because I'd want the entire wrestling community to be sitting in their chairs watching it live on television, so now I can count that my rating was higher." (H/T: WrestlingInc)

According to Fightful Select, CM Punk has allegedly stepped away from his return due to the promotion going back on a prior agreement to bring Ace Steel back into the fold. It's currently unclear whether this has soured things between the two parties. But for now, it could be considered an obstacle in his return negotiations.

---

Missed out on last night's AEW Dynamite? Catch up with the results right here.

---

The WWE Hall of Famer believes that AEW should pay attention to their ratings

Fans often compare WWE's weekly ratings with that of AEW. While it has no bearing on the crowd in attendance, the Jacksonville-based promotion's dwindling ratings have been a cause for concern.

During the same episode, Ray explained why ratings are still important today despite being seemingly 'outdated' in the eyes of some experts.

"People will say ratings don't matter, but when the rating is good, people will scream to the top of their lungs about how great the rating was," he said. "Even though it's outdated, it's still a gauge we've got to go to because if a company puts on must-see television, people will still be doing the old school thing of sitting in front of their television sets." (H/T: WrestlingInc)

Could CM Punk's return be what AEW needs to regain their seemingly lost momentum? Only time will tell. Fans online seem divided by the notion, but if Bully Ray's assessments are correct, it could benefit the company.