AEW made the right decision to not use interim titles this time

AEW not using the interim titles option was the correct move.

There was a lot of speculation about what Tony Khan would do pertaining to the situation with CM Punk which proved to be more complicated than any AEW fan could imagine. It was a vital moment for Tony to prove that it’s still business.

It would be bad for the wrestling company to utilize the interim titles for these situations. The interim titles represent a door being open as the superstars come back from their injury and hiatus.

It would have been a nightmare and made fans question everything if yet another interim title situation was in place. Having champions with no interim title in play was the right move for this situation and sends a strong message.

What this could mean for AEW in the future?

The usage of an interim title was utilized a lot for 2022, and it typically has consisted of situations such as injury or just a hiatus for superstars. The recent situation was different than any other situation though and going straight for new champions is the perfect way to send a message that there are truly no exceptions.

There has been some friction backstage and it has led to a media frenzy with CM Punk and many others being covered. The spotlight was on CM Punk after his tense media scrum which led to confrontations.

If Khan decided to make yet another interim world champion, it would have set the tone that Khan wants to hang on to Punk by any means necessary. With major media outlets covering everything from the investigation to accounts of what even happened, it would have looked bad for Khan to even imply that the door is open for Punk to get the title back.

It is not to say that there is not some concern since as mentioned, Tony Khan is highly unorthodox in his promoting style and there is still some possibility that he will try to keep all parties happy as much as possible.

There is no way to sweep it under the rug and simply move on with major media outlets now involved and the wrestling world watches and awaits possible decisions to be made. There are bound to be decisions that may rub someone the wrong way due to the handling of the situation.

Since the very first episode, AEW has had a culture developed that made it different than WWE or Impact Wrestling. It has led to it being more lenient across the lines in many ways, but they are also trying to find themselves.

There were a few performers who alluded to a structure issue within AEW, and it may be time to harness the message of being a unique wrestling company, but with the structure to hopefully prevent tense situations.

That’s the only way AEW can move forward with a renewed understanding and crush any possibility of tension or rumors of tension. Until then, there is a lot of internal work that needs to be done so it doesn’t disrupt the actual programming.

Not showing clear favoritism based on position or a wrestler’s status would be the perfect way as Jon Moxley said in his own way, leaving it in the past where it belongs. Certain stars being given a free pass has been covered on anything from podcasts to Dark Side of the Ring, and it’s time for it to end.

If AEW can’t get through this and there will be yet another free pass given, it will echo past experiences and it will sit the young company in the same conversation as past notable wrestling incidents to invalidate the culture and show that it’s not different than any other wrestling company.

It’s up to AEW to make these changes and hopefully, they will, having more opportunities for our favorite stars to compete is essential for this great age in professional wrestling. This young company may be taking a step in the right direction, but it will certainly take time.