"This was a sly one" – Veteran manager credits AEW for smartly booking CM Punk's recent appearance on Dynamite
Jim Cornette believes CM Punk's recent appearance on AEW Dynamite served to grab more eyeballs on their program.
The Straight Edge Superstar saved Anthony Greene from taking a post-match beatdown from Bobby Fish, who had already won the bout. The latter's assault on Greene felt prolonged, but the company might have done it on purpose.
While speaking on the Drive-Thru podcast, the veteran manager said that AEW smartly booked CM Punk to appear at nine o'clock, given that it's considered a top hour for every program.
Cornette stated that Vince McMahon told him a similar strategy back in the day when he used to put megastars in the same time slot as television viewers would switch channels at that time:
"This was a sly one. Right at the top of the nine o'clock hour is when Punk hit the ring. So even though they didn't have him in a match, or even advertised in some way, people switching around after their eight to nine o'clock show was over with. Vince taught me this twenty-something years ago with RAW, you would always, at the top of the hour, have one of your main stars in the ring or doing something."
Jim Cornette believes AEW might have succeeded in engaging more viewers as the focus was entirely on Punk:
"Punk's run-in came at the top of the nine o'clock hour, and right as people would be switching by they heard (CM Punk's music), and they saw CM Punk in the ring. And then they focus, they stayed, they kept the camera on him, and they milked the staredown with him and Fish, and they kept the camera on Punk as he left the ring because they got two minutes at the top of the hour of CM Punk on television. That was smart. Of course, then the rest of the show s*cked. But they might have hooked somebody."
CM Punk will have his first match on Dynamite programming tonight
Last night on Dynamite, @CMPunk put a stop to @theBobbyFish's postmatch attack on @alternative_ag. This Wednesday, Punk makes his #AEWDynamite in-ring debut against Bobby Fish LIVE on TNT! https://t.co/NfwDbjyaR7
After having a brief-staredown with each other last week, CM Punk and Bobby Fish will be on a collision course on AEW Dynamite tonight.
The Straight Edge Superstar will be making his Dynamite in-ring debut as his previous matches took place either on pay-per-view or on Rampage.
Punk is undefeated in AEW, and it remains to be seen if Bobby Fish will do the unthinkable and hand him his first loss. Regardless of who wins, fans will be in for a treat and witness an exciting contest.
Do you agree with Jim Cornette's statement about AEW smartly inserting CM Punk into that time slot? Sound off in the comments section below.
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