Over the last few weeks, CM Punk has refused to leave headlines in the wrestling industry. Even without his presence, the controversial wrestler still manages to top the news. Most recently, it’s on how Punk’s termination has impacted AEW’s ratings.

It’s no secret that Punk was one of the top-billed wrestlers at AEW. While the promotion has dozens of star wrestlers, only a few manage to make a splash when it comes to the numbers games. Wrestlers like Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Matt Hardy, and of course, Punk. However, while Punk might have no problems for his future, thanks to his stint with the UFC and his experience at WWE, the same can’t be said of AEW.

This gives rise to the question of whether Tony Khan’s decision to kick Punk out of the company was a good decision or a poor one.

With its poster boy gone, AEW Collision suffers

AEW was quick to replace Punk with Jay White and his ilk for Collision. However, while the decision was quick, it doesn’t seem to have resonated with fans. According to a report from Wrestling Observer, last week’s AEW Collision faced the lowest rating in the history of the program.

In Khan’s defense, the show had to compete with both WWE Payback and college football, which were on-air at the same time, after losing its poster boy. But this isn’t the first time that Collision has faced competition. With all the drama following AEW All In and All Out, as well as Punk’s firing, Collision doesn’t seem like it will be able to hold up the promise of competing with WWE. While AEW might not have intended it, just by ratings alone, Collision has become Punk’s show. And without Punk, the show just may fade into obscurity.

Collision broke its own record for highest ratings when Punk returned, recording nearly 740,000 viewers. Similarly, the September 2 episode of Collision, the one right after Punk left, showed that the ratings for the show were the lowest they had ever been, only just breaking 345,000 viewers.

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This goes to show that Punk was essential to the AEW brand. Even though he had a lot of drama in the back, he proved his worth through the numbers. While AEW has many stars in their roster, the point of the matter is that they won’t be able to bring back the ratings that Punk brought.

CM Punk’s influence on AEW was noticeable

Within just a few months of his two-year-long stint at AEW, Punk already had people talking. Every time that he was announced to be returning, it was a major event. The ratings would go way high and, from his association, he’s helped younger wrestlers like Darby Allin and Ricky Starks reach the spotlight.

While there is a lot of evidence that proves that Punk has not been the best wrestler for the locker room, the numbers don’t lie. Whether or not Khan made a misjudgment on parting with Punk, there are very few options that Khan can lean on to make his company compete against WWE. Many veterans in the business also agree with this sentiment, with some even berating Khan for doing it the way he did it.

Do you think Khan made the right choice in terminating Punk?

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