Bully Ray Comments On AEW Bringing Back CM Punk For Collision And Dynamite In Chicago

CM Punk made his long-awaited return last Saturday during the debut of "AEW Collision" at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, but he stuck around long enough to appear on "AEW Dynamite" this past Wednesday as well — also in Chicago. While it likely won't be the case going forward, with the rumored AEW brand split being centered around Punk, Bully Ray thought it was a smart move to include Punk on both shows, and he said as much this week on "Busted Open Radio."

"I believe that since that media scrum happened, that they have been in a perceived slump," he said, referencing the infamous All Out press conference last September. "Now they announce the return of CM Punk, I think a lot of people were like 'Let's wait and see.' And I think a very smart move by AEW and Tony Khan."

Punk was always going to get a hero's welcome in Chicago, but Bully suggested that the crowd's reaction may have swayed fans who were undecided on whether to cheer Punk or boo him. With these two shows, Bully believes it's possible perceptions have changed, as on Saturday and again on Wednesday, he saw an energized fanbase.

"Now if I'm a fan watching at home and I've been on the fence about CM Punk and AEW in general, I've now got two really strong weeks of television in which I watched a fanbase that looked super excited about Punk's return and AEW in general," he added.

Of course, there's still a matter of The Elite, who were not at "Collision" on Saturday or "Dynamite" on Wednesday.

During his return at "Collision," Punk made a "counterfeit bucks" quip at the expense of Matt and Nick Jackson, who wasted little time in changing their Twitter bio to reflect their response. But it was him saying he's a "Collision" guy on Wednesday night after making the save on FTR and Ricky Starks that Bully took note of.

"I really enjoyed the way they opened up," Ray stated. "From the actual tag match to the way they went off the air ... with Punk looking at the microphone and saying, 'I'm not even supposed to be here...' which was a nice little 'Eff you.'"

A report ahead of "Dynamite" on Wednesday suggested The Elite would be appearing via pre-taped segments, which was looked at as the "smart choice" given that once again, AEW was in Chicago and Punk was in the building. This did indeed prove to be the case, and the crowd obligingly chanted "F*** the Elite." With there allegedly still being heat between himself, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks, keeping all parties separate does seem like the best course of action, though many are still expecting Punk and the Elite to work together at some point.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.