Eric Bischoff has stated that he believes that the viewership drop for AEW Collision on September 2nd was not due to CM Punk‘s departure.
The decision by AEW to sever ties with CM Punk has ignited a fierce debate within the pro wrestling community. While some commend the promotion for its bold move, others are concerned about the potential negative impact on the product. The termination came after a tumultuous two-year stint with the company and an incident involving Punk and Jack Perry backstage at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium. Tony Khan, AEW’s president, announced Punk’s departure during the September 2nd edition of AEW Collision, leading to the show’s worst ratings ever on TNT.
The episode of Collision that aired following the announcement averaged 345,000 viewers over its two-hour duration. However, nearly 90,000 viewers tuned out immediately after learning of Punk’s departure. This decline marked the lowest viewership in the show’s brief history.
Eric Bischoff, speaking on Strictly Business, cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the cause of the ratings drop, suggesting that other factors may have contributed to the decline.
I think people are making too big a deal [out of it]. Before you jump to the conclusion that 89,000 people left because of CM Punk… I think that’s a giant leap into fantasy land. It could have been for other reasons, it had nothing to do with CM Punk.
He emphasised the importance of considering the lead-in for the show and the widespread curiosity surrounding Tony Khan’s announcement.
What was the lead-in for that show? That’s the first thing I would want to know. I think there was a fair amount of curiosity about what is Tony gonna do? People who might not watch Collision decided to tune in and get a real-time update about what the situation was because it got a lot of press.
What Other Shows Were On At The Same Time As AEW Collision?
The September 2nd episode of AEW Collision in question faced stiff competition from the WWE Payback premium live event and highly anticipated college football games. These factors undoubtedly impacted the viewership of AEW’s newest weekly program.
H/t to WrestlingInc.com