CM Punk

[mizfan]

He may be a pain in the ass but I'm glad he's coming back. He's just plain fun to watch and it's not like he's the first guy to get in a scuffle backstage over something stupid.

[Prime Time]

Sounds as if there could be movement on Punk returning to AEW....

[Prime Time]

Happened on an interesting bit of data I thought I'd share.

So, on average AEW add about 50-70k YouTube subscribers a month. In a bad month, that might drop as low as 30k. Until last year, the best they had managed was the month Dynamite launched, for what I am sure are obvious reasons, when they added around 182,000. They've rarely got close to that since. The big exception is the month CM Punk joined. In August 2021, AEW added almost 300,000 subscribers. And that month, the number of views more than doubled - increasing about 111%.

I guess if you want data to back up the 'how much does CM Punk move the needle' for AEW, there's something you can add to the mix. The initial move for Danielson also seems to indicate good things in this data too, though as it comes second it's obviously harder to draw out (and not so spectacular).

[Team Farrell]

He claims the thought was that people would order the show for the main event after the game if they went on Twitter and saw that the show was still going.

I'm not sure if it worked, though. I don't know that people buy a wrestling card just for the main like they do with boxing or UFC. At least, not anymore. And even then, if there's a UFC card with a main event that's going to get me to shell out money, I'm going to watch all that I paid for or just not buy or watch at all if there's something else I'd rather do.

[Oliver]

Appreciating that there's are always matches that people don't have interest in on pretty much any card of wrestling, it does feel like if you're sat specifically skipping certain bouts they don't particularly have a place on the show.

They all started to feel like that to me after a while. I hear this was particularly egregious though?

I know they were reported to be doing something about the NBA finals clash they had (or some other sport thing, can't recall specifics of it) but there was just a lot of...filler, I guess. I'm not sure if that fell around the time of what they were trying to counter program or what, but it really felt like they tried to stretch the show specifically to account for that, so they didn't somehow clash with something.

Which, I guess I understand, but to be honest if you're putting a PPV on and people are buying it, why counter program something else?

[The Cook]

Double or Nothing was certainly their longest show but to me it didn't feel it as I didn't watch it live and so was able to skip a couple of matches I had no interest in. Just a shame the result of the main event has been pretty much made null and void by Punk's injury.

[Prime Time]

They all started to feel like that to me after a while. I hear this was particularly egregious though?

[Oliver]

I hear sanity may have prevailed?

Yep - at the end of what may be the longest pay per view I've ever sat through. if not in terms of actual time, then at least in terms of feeling bloody long.

[Prime Time]

I hear sanity may have prevailed?

[Team Farrell]

It doesn't matter. You make the star the World Champion, regardless of where they work. Going with Page because they planned it two years ago over Danielson six months ago was a mistake.

Punk's a draw. He sells tickets, his segments draw, his merch sells, his PPV's are up year-on-year. He can't be responsible for two full hours though.

[Powder]

Maybe for a PPV? Maybe?

But the question is still this for AEW then...

In their 3 years of existence, they have had 4 champions, and 2 of them are pretty significant former WWE guys, and if Punk wins, that would make 3 out of 5.

[Oliver]

Punk will draw in the casual fan.

And yet still the Dynamite ratings don't shift.

[Benjamin Button]

I think putting Punk into a baby face match for his title shot is pretty non imaginative. They’ve not really swung at the fences with him. Lots of punting from Tony Khan. I guess all you have to do is punt if you’re only going for one base, though.

[The Cook]

It seems Punk & Page are taking it in turns 'heeling it up' and that post Double or Nothing they'll both still be top babyfaces. I've seen the build compared to a big time boxing match where both guys might be genuinely good and nice guys but feel the need to say and do stuff to get under their opponent's skin to try and gain a psychological edge. It's different and seeing as they were never going to be able to build it into a huge grudge match in such a short space of time I think it works.

[Powder]

Punk will draw in the casual fan.