The next Summer of Punk might soon be underway.

Following a nine-month absence from AEW TV, CM Punk is set to make his grand return on the June 17 premiere of Collision live from United Center in Chicago.

All of the controversy that has surrounded his status with All Elite Wrestling up to this point will make things interesting for him going forward, specifically from an on-air perspective.

Regardless of what has gone down with Punk behind the scenes, he's bound to be prominently featured just as he was before he left, along with everyone else from AEW and WWE who enter this year's summer season riding a wave of momentum.

Between the brewing Bloodline drama and the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship, the WWE product should also be fun to follow in the months ahead. Several Superstars are expected to carry Raw and SmackDown during this period based on the excellent work they've done in the first half of 2023.

Look for these eight top talents from both promotions to dominate the summer.

CM Punk

CM Punk was a hot topic of conversation among fans in the summers of both 2021 and 2022. The summer of 2023 will see that streak continue.

In all three instances, the AEW audience has been anticipating either his arrival or return to the company. Many were under the belief he wouldn't be back after leaving on such a sour note back in the fall, making his comeback on Collision next weekend all the more surprising.

There's no word on what exactly his latest run will entail, but based on the main event announced for that first Collision episode, Samoa Joe and/or Jay White are likely to be factored into his imminent plans.

The AEW product has proved it can survive and even thrive without Punk, but having him back will be a boost in terms of star power. Although the AEW World Championship may be out of his grasp, feuds with any of the active talent can help ensure Collision is must-see TV and on the same level as Dynamite.

Love him or loathe him, Punk will inject new life into the top of the card, and if motivated, there's no reason this next stint of his can't be as exceptional as the last one was.

Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes was the hottest thing going in WWE coming off his critically acclaimed comeback to the company at WrestleMania 38. With three straight pay-per-view wins over Seth Rollins to his credit, he should have been the star of the summer in 2022.

That was, however, until he got injured.

His torn pectoral muscle forced him to miss the entire summer as well as the rest of the year. Since returning at the Royal Rumble in January, he has successfully picked up where he left off as a main event player despite having yet to win a world title.

His ongoing rivalry with Brock Lesnar will keep him in the upper echelon of the card for a while longer, likely culminating in a rubber match with a stipulation at SummerSlam. As seen on Monday's Raw, he could be kept busy in the meantime by feuding with Dominik Mysterio.

Eventually, perhaps by the close of the summer, he'll be back where he belongs: in contention for a top title.

Whether it's in the ring or on the mic, Rhodes can always be counted on for an outstanding performance and doesn't need gold around his waist to feel special.

Kris Statlander

It felt as if Kris Statlander was always earmarked to be the one to ultimately dethrone the undefeated Jade Cargill as AEW TBS champion. It was more a matter of waiting until she was cleared to compete from injury to make the match happen.

Sure enough, Statlander reemerged at Double or Nothing and made an immediate impact by beating Cargill in quick fashion to lay claim to her first title in AEW. We're merely two weeks removed from the event, but so far, the follow-up with the new champ has been well done.

She has racked up two straight wins in open challenges for her title and shown no signs of ring rust. She is supremely talented, and it's refreshing for her to be spotlighted in such a fashion for a change.

The Outcasts are currently the central focus of the AEW Women's World Championship picture, but what the promotion has planned for Statlander could prove to be more exciting.

She's building more and more credibility as champ by the week and appears to have a feud with Taya Valkyrie on the horizon that's worth getting invested in.

Statlander is already a fan favorite, but she could soon become one of the biggest stars in the division if AEW continues to book her strong.

Roman Reigns

Having been the best storyline WWE has done in decades, it should come as no surprise that anyone from The Bloodline would be included in a list of this nature.

After seemingly reaching its zenith at WrestleMania 39, the Bloodline saga died down during Roman Reigns' absence from WWE TV before heating up again once he resurfaced in mid-May.

Now, all eyes are on what happens next following Jimmy Uso's betrayal of his cousin at Night of Champions. The angle that transpired on the subsequent SmackDown would suggest a tag team match pitting Reigns and Solo Sikoa against The Usos is all but guaranteed for Money in the Bank on July 1.

It's been over two months since Reigns last defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and it's expected to be another two months until his next defense at SummerSlam. That makes his recent record of 1,000-plus days as champion a little less impressive, but his superiority over the WWE roster can't be overstated.

His dominant reign will resume through the summer and beyond. He doesn't wrestle or even appear regularly, but The Tribal Chief remains in a league of his own.

Orange Cassidy

For someone who started out as strictly comic relief, Orange Cassidy's character arc in AEW has been nothing short of extraordinarily impressive.

His last eight months alone have made him one of the best-booked performers in the whole company. He's done tremendous work as international champion, defending the title against all-comers on a near-weekly basis and has had above-average matches almost every time.

At some point, his fatigue will catch up with him and cause him to lose the title, but until then, he'll stay winning and being a treat to tune into on Dynamite.

That would have been hard to believe late last year when the championship was portrayed as a pointless prop, but it's since turned into one of the most prestigious prizes in AEW with the way it's been handled.

Cassidy's popularity with the audience is undeniable, and the ratings he pulls in speak for themselves. He's firing on all cylinders at the moment and should continue to be showcased accordingly.

Rhea Ripley

WWE was wise to strap the rocket to Rhea Ripley at the onset of 2023 and run with her as one of the biggest stars of the women's division.

It started with her historic Royal Rumble victory in January and continued with her tremendous match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39. Since then, she has beaten both Zelina Vega and Natalya in decisive fashion to hold onto her SmackDown Women's Championship.

Although there are no immediate threats to her title, that doesn't mean she won't maintain a presence on Raw through the summer. She and the rest of The Judgment Day are staples on Monday nights and always at odds with the brand's top talent.

Similar to Roman Reigns, Ripley is almost too untouchable for the time being. WWE will need to build more women up as credible contenders for her championship for it to feel like it's remotely in jeopardy of changing hands.

Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch will be intriguing opponents for her down the road, but there is no end in sight to Ripley's reign of terror.

Adam Cole

After sitting on the shelf for an extended period of time with multiple concussions, Adam Cole is finally back among the elite in AEW.

His return rivalry with Chris Jericho only existed to set him up for championship contention, which is where he finds himself as of Wednesday's Dynamite. He wasted no time in stepping up to AEW world champion MJF and making his intentions known of wanting to win gold.

Their first-ever one-on-one encounter will be going down next week. Regardless of the outcome, a rematch on pay-per-view with the title on the line is a must.

Despite being a natural heel, Cole has been excellent as a babyface and has the crowd firmly in his corner every time he walks out. His road to recovery being documented on the All Access show has made it easy to root for him and created a strong story worth telling.

He's no stranger to the spotlight, but he should be able to win when it matters most this time around and rack up more meaningful victories this summer that set the stage for an eventual title triumph.

Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins had been WWE's uncrowned world champion for some time, and at Night of Champions, he got gold back in his grasp at long last.

Prior to that, he hadn't been a fixture in the world title picture since late 2019, so he was extremely overdue. Already, he has adapted to the role remarkably well and feels like the top guy Raw has been in desperate need of since Roman Reigns took both belts to SmackDown.

Just this past week on Monday, The Visionary set the tone for the rest of his reign by issuing an open challenge for his championship and defeating Damian Priest in a great match. Finn Bálor appears to be next in line come Money in the Bank, and that should be a thriller as well.

The Raw roster having as much depth as it does creates plenty of exciting opponents for Rollins to face this summer in an attempt to put the World Heavyweight Championship on the same playing field as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

He's as hot of a commodity as he's ever been and deserves to be rewarded for his efforts over the years by being booked to take the summer by storm.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.