Tony Khan finally talks CM Punk

Ever since Brawl Out, we’ve essentially gotten a “no comment” whenever AEW owner, president & head of creative Tony Khan was asked about CM Punk in interviews (or on the rare occasions the company’s two-time World champ was brought up at an AEW-hosted media event).

But with Punk’s return confirmed for Collision in Chicago next Saturday (June 17), Khan is doing press in support of AEW’s new TNT series. And that means talking about one of the central figures in the drama that’s lingered over his company since last summer.

In his talk with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, TK doesn’t say much. Given what we’ve heard about legal wrangling and non-disclosure agreements, that’s not terribly surprising. That doesn’t mean we can’t glean anything from his remarks.

For instance, the quotes Khan gave Barrasso do seem to back up reports that Collision would have happened with or without Punk:

“We haven’t seen CM Punk in a long time, since All Out last September. He looked great in his last match. To the fans, he’s very important. He’s very important to the company, too. He’s been a big draw for us and historically throughout his career, and the launch of the new show happens to line up with the schedule on his rehab of his triceps injury.

“We have an amazing opportunity with AEW on Saturday nights on TNT, starting June 17, and it was truly the brainchild of [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president] David Zaslav. He asked about more AEW, specifically Saturday nights, on TNT. When it was pitched to us by TNT, I was so excited. It’s so exciting the timing [of Punk’s return from injury] coincides with the launch of Collision.”

We can’t tell what, if any, follow-ups there were about what AEW’s dealings with Punk over the last several months. But those likely would have gotten “no comment” responses anyway — for legal reasons, if nothing else.

Still, the seal has been broken. Here’s hoping nothing else comes up to prevent Khan from talking about his biggest star in vague promotional terms.