Report: AEW To Have Harder Than Expected Brand Split

All Elite Wrestling are set to introduce a new Saturday night TV show in Collision later this year, with reports indicating the new show will premiere on June 17 and air on TNT every week from 8 pm until 10 pm ET.

CM Punk is set to be the star of Collision and the new show will lead to a roster split. Initial reports had indicated the split would be "soft", but Andrew Zarian has since reported on Wrestling Observer Live that the split will be harder than expected.

"The plans have been put in place to possibly have a tentative Saturday show to be the 'soft' brand split. When I used that term yesterday on Mat Men, I was told that it's less soft than I'm putting out there. I guess there will be people that are predominantly on the other show, on the Saturday show," Zarian said.

Bryan Alvarez also reported on Wrestling Observer Live the roster split is being introduced to keep CM Punk and talents who want to work with him separate from those who do not.

"What I heard from the beginning any time this was brought up was there are people that don't want to work with CM Punk. They don't want to be in the building with him. So there is going to be a place where he can work and do his thing and there's going to be a place where the other people can work and do their thing. If you're a neutral party then conceivably you can work both shows and everything like that, but there's going to be certain people that are on one show and certain people that are going to be on the other show because they don't want to be anywhere near each other," Alvarez stated.

A major programme is seemingly in the works for when Collision debuts as CM Punk will likely feud with Chris Jericho when The Straight Edge Superstar makes his return to All Elite Wrestling.