AEW Rampage: August 20 episode viewership and ratings revealed as CM Punk returns to professional wrestling

It appears that CM Punk moves the needle after all...

Fans have waited seven years for CM Punk to return to professional wrestling, and he finally did Friday night on AEW Rampage. Punk's debut brought a massive increase in viewership along with him.

According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, this week's edition of AEW Rampage brought in 1.129 million viewers, which is way up from last week's debut of 740,000. For a cable television show at 10 PM EST on a Friday, these numbers should be seen as a considerable victory for AEW, Tony Khan, and CM Punk.

The opening quarter-hour with the return of CM Punk was watched by 1,341,000 viewers on average and 842,000 in the demo (0.65).https://t.co/Z0rG5QbZu4

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) August 23, 2021

CM Punk's return brings in massive numbers for AEW Rampage

Regarding the all-important 18-49 demo, AEW Rampage rose in a big way from last week from 0.31 to 0.53. The only episode of AEW television outdrawing this number was their television debut of Dynamite back in October of 2019.

With both the viewership and demo up this week, the company currently has surging momentum heading into All Out in September. AEW will look to build upon that this Wednesday on Dynamite.

It should be noted that the CM Punk segment specifically drew a 0.65 in the demo. We can't overstate how big this number is. The Best in the World is moving the needle for All Elite Wrestling.

AEW Rampage opened up this week with the long-awaited return of CM Punk to professional wrestling. This long segment took up the first 20 minutes of the show, and the live crowd loved every minute of it.

The show's main event saw Jon Moxley go one-on-one with Daniel Garcia in a quick but fun matchup.

What did you think of AEW Rampage on Friday? What was your favorite match or segment? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.