8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Collision (June 17)

2. One Bill Phil

AEW Collision CM Punk
AEW

Oh, Crazy Phil, how we've missed you...

The CM Punk we saw on AEW Collision, was the exact CM Punk we needed to see. This was the Second City Saint with a clear chip on his shoulder, with biting comments to be made, and with the attitude that nobody actually beat him for the AEW World Title he was stripped of shortly after Brawl Out.

Making it clear that he was done trying to be nice, this was a Punk who was brimming with intensity and passion, and who of course had his traditional one-liners that get the internet buzzing.

If you want an apology from the Straight-Edge Superstar, he's sorry that the only people softer than you are your favourite wrestlers. To Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Punk is known as One Bill Phil, as he's the genuine deal in a business full of Counterfeit Bucks.

Obviously it helped that this return took place in Chicago, with 90% of the United Center cheering on CM Punk's every word, but this opening promo was a brilliant way to usher in CM Punk's return, and likewise it certainly started the debut episode of AEW Collision off with a bang.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.