AEW News: Chris Jericho says they don't need CM Punk; reveals the company's target demographic

What's the story?

In an interview with Collider Live, Chris Jericho said that AEW doesn't need CM Punk to be a part of their roster.

In case you didn't know...

For months, speculation has been rampant that CM Punk will sign with AEW. Tony Khan has said that before Jon Moxley was signed, CM Punk was his first pick to join the promotion. CM Punk has repeatedly said on social media that he will not be appearing in AEW anytime soon. The Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes have also deflected repeated questions about Punk's involvement in All Elite Wrestling.

While CM Punk returning to pro wrestling is always a talking point, AEW has assembled a roster that has the likes of Hangman Page, Luchasaurus, Britt Baker, The Lucha Bros, Private Party, Best Friends, Kylie Rae, Allie, Darby Allin, SCU, Joey Janela, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega and Shawn Spears.

The heart of the matter

As mentioned earlier, Chris Jericho sat down with Roxy Striar and Kristian Harloff of Collider Live to discuss AEW, his podcast and other upcoming projects in music and movies. When discussing the AEW roster, Chris Jericho said that while hardcore wrestling fans know who The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega are, the larger nationwide audience does not. He also said that they have to get them over one-by-one.

Kristian Harloff brought up CM Punk in the conversation and if there are plans to have him in AEW. Chris Jericho said that he is not part of those discussions but he did give his opinion. He said:

Do we need him? No. Would it be a huge pop to get him? Yes. I don't know, man. I don't know what his attitude or mindset is but I think our roster is jam-packed right now.

We have enough guys that no one has seen before. We got a lot of young guys like Jungle Boy, MJF, both those guys are 23 years old. That appeals to a different demographic. My daughters are 12 and they don't like wrestling but they like Jungle Boy.

(H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

What's next?

While CM Punk is not part of AEW's plans, the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC) will continue to say otherwise. So, it's doubtful that is going to die down anytime soon. His comments about the target demographic being a more teenage-driven audience are interesting and reveal more about the company's plans. Chris Jericho will be taking on Hangman Page at AEW All Out for the AEW Championship.