Like jazz, it was the words he didn’t say.

On Thursday (AEST)’s edition of AEW Dynamite, company CEO and head of creative Tony Khan revealed where they’d hold the first episode of the company’s new TV show Collision – supposed to be another top-level show, like Dynamite, rather than the smaller Rampage program.

On its face, booking Chicago’s United Center is just a big venue in a big city for a big show.

But it’s not just that; it’s confirmation of the wrestling world’s biggest open secret – after weeks of conflicting reports, spats between reporters and wrestlers, and will-he-or-won’t-he concerns.

CM Punk is coming back to AEW.

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The second-biggest US pro wrestling company kickstarted its hottest year of programming, pushing ever closer to WWE in the ratings, when it revealed Punk as its mega-signing in August 2021 on the second ever episode of Rampage – subtitled The First Dance and also held at the United Center in Punk’s hometown.

There’s every chance AEW will try and copy the formula for the Collision debut episode on Sunday June 18 (AEST), given they sold out the expensive venue 21 months ago by hinting (but not actually saying) he would debut there.

It’s hoped internally Punk’s return can kickstart another big summer, after AEW hit a ratings plateau in recent months, given he is a proven draw.

But he’s also a risk, because of how his first run with the company ended.

Following last September’s All Out pay per view, immediately after going on a shocking rant at this press conference, Punk and his great mate Ace Steel were involved in a real-life brawl with company founders and vice-presidents The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega.

Fuming at rumours about icing out former best friend turned enemy Colt Cabana, Punk left reporters in attendance stunned with his behaviour – which included claims former champion ‘Hangman’ Adam Page had “gone into business for himself” with an on-camera quip about ‘worker’s rights’ – and the fight occurred when the Bucks and Omega confronted Punk in his locker room about the comments.

Steel was fired, having thrown a chair at Nick Jackson and bitten Omega, while a torn left triceps suffered by Punk in his match with Jon Moxley (aka Dean Ambrose) at the pay per view ended up as a blessing in disguise – because it meant Punk had to take time away from the company anyway.

The Bucks and Omega returned after a suspension lasting roughly a month, but Punk has barely even been mentioned on AEW programming since the incident – even when he was stripped of the world championship he held at the time.

Now healthy, there have been conflicting reports in recent months over whether Punk and AEW want to get back together – which is where the new Collision show comes in.

Warner Brothers Discovery, the corporation which airs AEW in the United States via its TNT and TBS cable channels, has enjoyed the company’s TV ratings (as they sit in the top five in the key demographics almost every week) and wanted more hours of programming.

But they also wanted Punk back on their screens because they saw how much he drove ratings during his first stint – Rampage has never come close to hitting the heights it reached for his return after seven years on the sidelines.

That gave Punk enormous leverage and forced Tony Khan to work out exactly how he could get the Bucks, Omega and his dethroned world champion back together.

The answer hasn’t appeared to be ‘sit them down and tell them to stop fighting like kids’ – instead, AEW is almost emulating WWE with a semi-brand split.

Collision, airing live three days after Dynamite, will spotlight wrestlers who haven’t exactly made friends during their AEW stint or are more Punk-aligned than Bucks and Omega-aligned.

When the show was officially confirmed at Warner Brothers Discovery’s upfront last week, wrestlers named included Miro (aka Rusev, who was unhappy with the way he was being booked including asked to lose in a mini-tournament), Thunder Rosa (who has legit heat with most of the other women on the roster) and Andrade El Idolo (who had a real-life fight backstage with young star Sammy Guevara last October).

Surprisingly, despite weeks of reports Punk was the reason Collision even existed, he was not mentioned. Perhaps this was to keep him as a quasi-surprise for the show’s debut.

But perhaps it was yet more drama. It’s believed Punk was pulled from Collision’s initial promotional materials because he was in a dispute with Khan over the re-hiring of his friend Ace Steel – the one who bit Kenny Omega – as a producer.

Punk believed Steel would be allowed backstage again; the response from others inside AEW wasn’t so positive.

It’s believed the situation has since been worked out – AEW wouldn’t have booked the United Center without Punk, because if he doesn’t show up at Collision there may be an actual riot, as famously promised when Punk wrestled John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011, also in Chicago.

And so the company, in the week of its Double or Nothing pay per view, will look to build hype for Punk’s long-awaited return. Perhaps there’ll be some sort of hint on the PPV, especially given Punk was expected to resume his highly-acclaimed feud with current world champion MJF following All Out 2022 (and MJF is expected to retain his title in the main event of Double or Nothing).

But there’s no doubt at least two things will happen.

One: drama. Because wherever Punk has gone in his career, we’ve seen it – from the very start of his WWE stint, to his controversial exit, and to his fiery, brief run in AEW thus far.

Two: a rise in the ratings. Because wherever Punk has gone in his career, we’ve seen it.

And for AEW, the latter makes the former worth it.