SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
C.M. Punk is showing good leadership backstage so far at Collision and seems to be taking seriously his role as a locker room leader, according to PWTorch sources. Punk has incentive to repair his damaged reputation as a malcontent without a filter or the necessary social skills to get along with others in powerful positions, both to secure cheers from savvy, well-read fans and also to show up his locker room rivals who are the veteran leaders of Dynamite.
The word from backstage at Collision is that he is taking seriously that this is “his show” and he’s taking pride in putting his stamp on the on-air product and off-air vibe in the locker room. Our sources don’t necessarily reflect the views of everyone in the back and some may have different experiences that are less positive, but overall the vibe appears to be moving in the right direction after some tension in his first week back related to his early dig at The Young Bucks. There has been no such “insider digs” in his promos since his first week back alluding to the issues he had with The Elite and others in the past.
Tony Khan has assembled the Collision roster strategically to remove people who had conflicts with Punk from being around him on Saturday nights and that appears to be paying off.
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Ratings for Collision have been disappointing the last two weeks after a solid first week. This week’s fourth episode presented a strong line-up of C.M. Punk vs. Samoa Joe, FTR vs. Jay White & Juice Robinson, and Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks, so anything but a strong viewership rebound would be disappointing. Punk’s influence behind the scenes is going to be based not just on his demeanor and leadership behind the scenes or delivering quality promos and matches in the ring, but also ratings and live attendance.
Collision last night in Regina had fewer than 2,000 tickets distributed the day of the show, up from just over 1,600 earlier in the week according to WrestleTix. Kevin Kelly on commentary noted that “a bunch of tickets moved really fast” once Punk vs. Joe was announced. The weak attendance isn’t all on Punk, of course, but it is showing he can’t be advertised for any city in North American and fill at least a small arena or sell 5,000+ tickets.
RELATED: EDITORIAL – AEW Has Problems: Six fixable issues with AEW that are costing the company viewers
OR CHECK OUT JASON POWELL’S REVIEW OF THIS WEEKEND’S COLLISION: Powell’s live review of CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe, and Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
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