5 Reasons CM Punk Was WORTH The Trouble To AEW (... & 5 He Wasn't)
2. Was: Moved The Needle, Moved The Merch
In wrestling, as in any industry, money talks. From a cold, number crunching perspective, there’s no arguing that CM Punk shifts the merch, sells the tickets, and has people tuning in whenever he’s on TV.
Starting from his very first appearance on Rampage, Punk has drawn viewing figures that other performers simply can’t. While it’s worth noting a debuting wrestler is always exciting, Punk hadn’t been announced for the show (though it had been heavily hinted). People tuned in anyway, as they didn’t want to miss his triumphant return. Next time around, Tony Khan boosted uninspiring Collision ticket sales by announcing that Punk would be coming back.
As Punk himself has boasted in a series of slightly cringe Instagram posts, he has consistently shifted among the most merchandise and featured in the most-watched clips on social media for the company.
There’s nothing more boring in wrestling than the back end facts and figures, but Punk has the numbers to back up just how big a star he is, or at least was.