Interim Titles: A History Lesson

AEW’s path to crown an interim world champion is clear. Last Wednesday on Dynamite, #1 contender Jon Moxley beat Casino Battle Royal winner Kyle O’Reilly in a good back-and-forth contest. O’Reilly’s battle royal win was surprisingly damned with faint praise in the crowd and online. He’s a good wrestler, but some find the Undisputed Elite member boring.

NJPW was in a similar situation with their half of the interim title equation. Hiroki Goto is a good wrestler, but some find him dull as a character. No one expected Goto to beat Hiroshi Tanahashi at Dominion on Sunday, and they were right. Tanahashi pinned Goto in a highly engaging match despite the result never really being in question.

Jon Moxley will face Hiroshi Tanahashi to determine the interim AEW World Champion at Forbidden Door on June 26 in Chicago. CM Punk’s injury put a damper on things, but hopefully, the interim title will begin to right the ship. Of course, the end game down the line is the interim titleist colliding with Punk to determine an undisputed champion.

Does anyone know how the interim concept got started in the first place? I do, I do (eagerly raising my hand in class). So, here’s a history lesson.

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Thank You, Cody

Cody Rhodes put on one of the gutsiest performances ever seen in a wrestling ring, making it one of the all-time great matches. Gruesome imagery and sheer anguish made for an engaging yet uncomfortable watch that made an indelible impression on wrestling fans.

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Don’t Call it a Promo: MJF’s Pipe Bomb

Art imitated life last Wednesday when Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) put on a scathing worked shoot rant that stole the show. His legitimate contract dispute with Tony Khan was used to convey a prohibited sense of astonishment.

MJF’s profane rhetoric laced with authentic and harsh criticism lobbied against Khan, and AEW was one of the most well delivered and passionate performances in a long, long time.

However, it didn’t sell anything.

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CM Punk Injured; AEW to Crown Interim Champion

Bad luck has postponed the Summer of Punk 3.0.

CM Punk announced on Rampage Friday night that he’s injured, a couple of things are broken, and he needs surgery. While Punk will be out for an undetermined time, he will remain AEW World Champion.

Later on, Excalibur announced that a battle royal will open Dynamite on Wednesday, where the winner will face #1 contender Jon Moxley in the main event. The winner of that match will face an unnamed opponent for the interim AEW World Championship on June 26 at Forbidden Door.

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Money in The Bank Switcheroo

Last week, WWE announced Money in the Bank would no longer occur at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. MGM Grand Garden Arena will now host the premium live event. Reportedly, lower-than-expected ticket sales caused the shift in venue.

WrestlingObserver.com reported that WWE decided two weeks before they sent an email to ticket holders on 5/26 notifying them of the change. Original patrons get first dibs for new tickets on June 3. However, there is a catch.

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AEW 2022 Double or Nothing Review

Nearly 5 hours of AEW’s brand of professional wrestling on Sunday culminated with CM Punk pinning “Hangman” Adam Page to become the fifth AEW World Champion. AEW Double or Nothing emanated from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a 13-match card.

It was a show of peaks and valleys with a hot opening, some less than stellar stuff in the middle, and a solid second half to celebrate All Elite Wrestling’s third anniversary. And, of course, it wouldn’t be an AEW PPV without a few new additions to the roster.

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Flame On: A Cautionary Tale

Over the weekend at a GCW show in Los Angeles, former AEW star Joey Janela soaked his right foot in lighter fluid, lit it on fire, and delivered a flaming superkick to his opponent, Drew Parker. It was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen in a wrestling ring.

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Sasha Banks & Naomi Suspended Indefinitely by WWE

Sasha Banks and Naomi are trending for all the wrong reasons. WWE announced on SmackDown this evening that Sasha Banks and Naomi are indefinitely suspended and stripped of the Women’s Tag Team Championship.

WWE dedicated an entire segment to the announcement where Micheal Cole noted Sasha and Naomi’s walkout on Raw as the reason for their suspension and buried them, saying they “let us all down” and “disappointed millions of fans.”

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Sasha Banks & Naomi Walkout of Raw

The big story coming out of WWE Raw involves Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and Naomi as they legitimately walked out on the show. Fightful.com reported that Sasha Banks was not happy with how she would be booked for the evening.

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The Ballad of MJF’s Contract

I usually don’t like talking about contract issues because those matters are private between the talent and the promoter. However, I was recently reminded, “Kid, that’s the business we’re in.”

Fightful.com reported that AEW president Tony Khan and MJF had a heated conversation stemming from MJF being unhappy with his contract and doing an Ariel Helwani interview without AEW’s permission.

More trouble in paradise was reported on Thursday by Fightful as MJF is still frustrated by his contract and is considering leaving AEW when his contract expires in November 2024.

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