31-year WWE veteran says he "popped" when CM Punk made his AEW return

AEW star CM Punk has become the promotion's most divisive figure, with many fans either happy to see him back or claiming he's bad for business. Veteran referee Mike Chioda recently commented on his return and expressed why Punk is a valuable roster addition.

AEW's ratings have notably been a serious topic of discussion over the past year, with blame being put on everyone from Tony Khan, The Elite, to CM Punk himself. Some have claimed that The Second City Saint isn't a draw, but Chioda disagrees.

During the recent episode of his Monday Mailbag podcast, Mike Chioda dismissed the claims some have made online and expressed how excited he was to see Punk return to AEW.

“People were telling me months ago, ‘Oh, he’s a problem. He doesn’t draw. Does he draw?’ All that. Come on, Punk draws. I popped as soon as he walks through that entrance. I love it. His facials are the f****** best.” (H/T eWrestlingNews)

Some fans are still fiercely against Punk's return to the Jacksonville-based promotion. Recently one took things further by dropping a $10 super chat during the Forbidden Door media scrum live stream to ask Khan to fire CM Punk.

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Bully Ray believes the AEW audience is giving CM Punk the "John Cena treatment"

John Cena is arguably one of the biggest names in modern pro wrestling and is instantly recognized by many outside the industry too. However, at some stage, The Champ gained massive heat and began to be booed by the audience. Fans recently did the same to CM Punk during the shows in Toronto, which the star seemed to relish as well.

During an episode of Busted Open Radio, the veteran compared the crowd's reaction to Punk to how the fans eventually turned on John Cena.

"I thoroughly enjoyed [Satoshi] Kojima versus Punk and Punk right now is getting the [John] Cena treatment. Whether they love you or whether they hate you, they have some kind of an emotional response to you. What's the common denominator? Buy tickets." (H/T WrestlingINC)

CM Punk clearly doesn't mind the boos and said as much during his return promo two weeks ago. Only time will tell if he elevates the promotion or not, but it seems that both Mike Chioda and Bully Ray believe the Second City Saint is a valuable asset to AEW.