Collision’s numbers rebound with CM Punk in the main event

The numbers are in for the fourth episode of AEW Collision on TNT, and they look like the second week as opposed to last week’s disappointing ones.

July 8 featured CM Punk wrestling his old rival Samoa Joe in the main event, and that seems to have been a much better hook than CM Punk commentating while his old rival Samoa Joe is in the main event. Last Saturday’s show was watched by an audience of 580,000, and pulled a .21 rating among 18-49 year olds.

Both numbers are well above the previous episode, and almost identical to the June 24 edition that featured Punk in an eight-man tag match. Collision finished fifth among cable originals in the demo. Wrestlenomics initial (free) report doesn’t tell us how all of the competition did, but does specify that ESPN’s 8pm ET broadcast of the UFC 290 prelims — which aired directly opposite AEW’s show — finished first on cable with a .32 in the demo. The prelims were also simulcast on broadcast television, but we don’t have rating or viewership data for ABC’s airing of them.

Here’s a look at Collision’s viewership and demo rating over the course of its brief history:

• June 17 - 816K / .33
• June 24 - 595K / .21
• July 1 - 452K / .13
• July 8 - 580K / .21

For complete results from the debut of Collision, check out our live blog here. To read a recap & review of the show, click here.