Bully Ray & Tommy Dreamer Share What They Want From CM Punk In AEW Return

"AEW Collision" debuts this Saturday night from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. With the new show comes the return of CM Punk, who is scheduled to compete in the main event alongside AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR as they take on ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe as well as Bullet Club Gold's Jay White and Juice Robinson. Yet while he will likely be welcomed back with open arms by his hometown of Chicago, Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray both suggested on "Busted Open Radio" that it won't be so simple going forward.

"I thought of that as 'I know I'm gonna wrestle,' did not think of that as 'Oh, he's going to speak,'" Dreamer said of the video package that aired Wednesday night on "AEW Dynamite" hyping up Punk's return. "I would stretch out the speaking part."

But, will he speak? Or rather, should he? After all, AEW President Tony Khan did suggest that a promo "would make a lot of sense." And overall, he is looking forward to a positive reaction this weekend. However, Chicago is Chicago, and that is why Dreamer believes that AEW should ultimately wait to hand him a microphone. That is, if he is returning as a babyface.

"Obviously they're trying to say that he's going to be a babyface," he continued. "Like I said, I think we should read the room. Chicago is an anomaly; it's where he's from...But you're going to have to feel it out." Putting himself in Punk's shoes for a moment, Dreamer suggested that he would re-hash what the promotional material has been saying but then apologize at the very end of it; admit fault; and carry on from there. However, Dreamer was sure to make one thing very clear if he were to return as a heel.

"If I'm gonna try to be a heel, don't hand me a microphone because I'll destroy you," he stated.

Bully Ray took a slightly harsher approach to Punk's impending return, particularly when it came to the "I have a lot of things to get off my chest" line from the aforementioned video package. Nevertheless, he believes "The Best in the World" will have to do one of two things upon returning: Make fans fall in love with him again, or make them hate him even more. He'll need a little longer than just Saturday night to accomplish this, however.

"I don't know, but the first words that came to mind were the boy who cried wolf," he said. Ray then remembered "WWE Backstage," a talk show featuring Punk that began airing in November 2019 before ending in January 2021. The retired wrestler promised something similar at the time but never followed through. "And CM Punk was like 'Oh boy, I don't know what I'm gonna say!'" he recalled. "And then what did he say? Nothing."

Yet while Ray doesn't necessarily think fans will get that again, it's on the man himself to win them back. That all begins with character work.

"I'm gonna sit back, and he's going to have to win me over from a character point of view," he added. "I don't give a s*** about anything less than the pro wrestling story and the character." Win, lose, or draw, Ray believes it is up to Punk to make himself a must-see event. Whether it's in the ring or on the microphone, he has to give fans a reason to believe if they're going to take him seriously again.

"You better make me love you again, or you better make me hate you even more than I hate you right now for the perception that you have created," Ray declared.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.