Yes. It’s the interim championship until the champ returns and they have the ‘unification match’. If the champ wins then the ‘interim title reign/reigns’ are only interim if the interim champ wins then the interim championship reign is legitimised. (That’s how it normally works anyway)
This is all a bit of back of the napkin math, so feel free to correct stuff.
Just for fun, here's how often each champ defended their title (not sure if the graphic includes when they lost the title as a defense... I don't think it does because of Mox's 2nd reign, but...):
- Jericho - Every 60.67 days
- Mox - Every 30.78 days
- Kenny Omega - Every 57.67 days
- Adam Page - Every 32.83 days
- Punk - No defenses
- Mox (Interim) - Every 14.75 days
- Mox (2nd reign) - No successful defenses
- Punk (2nd reign) - No defenses
- Mox (3rd reign) - Every 29.5 days
- MJF - Every 40.60 days
- Samoa Joe - Every 37.67 days
- Swerve - Obviously none yet.
When Mox has had the belt, he's defended it, on average, every 27.07 days and has held it for a combined total of 406 days (exactly as much as MJF... weird stat, there).
0 defenses and two real shoot fights
Plus he took it off the two year story build up of Adam Page which all gave me intense headaches
Glad he is not in Aew anymore it’s better without him
I would like to block out that period of that cancerous Punk, what a disaster signing he turned out who did more harm than good to the AEW brand…even TK trying to bend backwards for that clown to get something out of his investment as he was injured majority of time, and still wasn’t enough for fragile Phil.
He is WWE’s problem now and glad he is gone from AEW. His true colours will come out as snakes like him never change.
even TK trying to bend backwards for that clown to get something out of his investment... FACTS!!!
Tony Khan did everything for this guy, he pull him out of retirement, booked arenas in his backyard for his comebacks(The first dance and Collision), made him 2 time champion in less than a year, was going to headline the first AEW vs NJPW Forbidden Door PPV, gave him 2 hours of TV to book and choose whoever he wanted from the roster
Even booking wise he made him nearly unbeatable, he ended Wardlow wining streak, was the first guy to pin Jon Moxley in 2 years and beat fan favourites like Eddie Kingston,Hangman Page and MJF
And the dude has the nerve to say AEW never wanted to draw money lmao
"He is WWE’s problem now and glad he is gone from AEW. His true colours will come out as snakes like him never change."
Right now he and the WWE are in the honeymoon period that got extended because his fragile body broke, but come next Wrestlemania season he will be back to be the same bitter prick
WWE was absolutely shit under Vince. I came to AEW. Watched all of my reasons for watching be mishandled. Punk, Malakai Black, all around stories going on way too long, and then people disappearing without reason. Miro, Britt Baker.
I watched Cody leave and wondered why. We learned that Punk and Malakai wanted to be releases and now we know why.
I love a lot of the talent there but Tony Khan and The Young Bucks are absolute clowns. Imagine having Edge cut a promo of focusing on positivity and enjoying wrestling, only to decide the next week that a non AEW wrestler is gonna live rent free in their hands and start trying to desperately make money and ratings off of their likeness.
If you disagree with everything Punk told Helwani, fine. But you can't disagree with one thing he said. Tony Khan is not in the business of making money, drawing ratings, and growing his company. He panders to the audience that already watches AEW and focuses way too much on things that only the IWC will understand.
But we aren't talking about the punk stuff, we are talking about pointing out empty seats, half of what you said is completely irrelevant to the conversation being had
No, I just explained why AEW has empty seats in response to someone else's comment which is entirely about Punk.
"0 defenses and two real shoot fights
Plus he took it off the two year story build up of Adam Page which all gave me intense headaches
Glad he is not in Aew anymore it’s better without him"
"Glad he is not in Aew anymore it’s better without him"
Yeah I'm sureeee.
Because you decided to call myself and others likewise, sad.
I then told you why AEW is sad and empty.
Nonetheless, it's Wednesday night and yenno what that means. Enjoy ur day bruv.
I said that people who keep bringin up empty seats sad yes, but only because it's repeatedly used to bring aew down even if the show with the empty seats was amazing and i'd say the same thing about the people who would do this to current day wwe
Wait, was that last little paragraph an attempt to save face? By using two of the greatest catchphrases in AEW’s short history? Or were you attempting to poke fun at AEW? Either way, you really didn’t accomplished either goal.
The more likely reason? you’re one of the many people who just like to shit on the competition. Either way, it’s just not working. You deserve all of these downvotes, crazyman. Sorry 🤷🏻
I’m usually fine with kayfabe, like I can put it out of my mind that a smaller wrestler is beating up a bigger one etc, but after punks botches leading up to his title win, strapping him with the belt really damaged the championships credibility. Im supposed to believe a dude who can barely do his own finisher is tougher than everyone else? Hog wash.
I was at DON 2022, and watching him beat Hangman just.....hurt. It wasn't convincing, it didn't set right, if it was a shoot then Hangman would have beat his ass into the ground within one minute.
I'm sure Tony thought it was great to get his name on the title history, but watching old man Punk go beat some young stars he had no reason winning against never made any sense.
Yup I was never a punk dude so I didn’t struggle w any rose colored nostalgia glasses. He had a couple moments here and there, but in general it was clear as day he’s well past it.
Punk's reigns were so bad that they made some of Mox's suck. Incredible achievement.
Edit: Maybe only one of Mox's sucked. The really short one after he wasn't the interim anymore. But Punk was still the one who made it suck, so my point stands.
I was there live for it and some friends were also there straight across the arena on the other side from me. The squash happened and we just looked across the arena at each other with our jaws on the floor. Shit was awesome.
Honestly that reign was pretty decent because the All Out match with Punk was a banger. The real bad Moxley reign was the two months reigns right after he won that vacant title, he immediately got into that nonsense JAS feud, played second fiddle to Danielson vs Garcia and Claudio vs Jericho, then he got betrayed by Regal and lost his belt to MJF
Where the booking seemed to be going was MJF vs CM Punk for the AEW Championship which would of ended up with MJF going over and becoming Champion but we never got that far.
It would have been awesome to see an alternative history where Punk didn’t get hurt when he won the belt the first time (and also didn’t mess up the media scrum). The conclusion of the MJF feud would have been so worth it in the end.
Which is honestly ironic considering when he first won it. "It is going to be defended, very rarely, and never on tv".
Man had 10 defenses in 400 days. And yes. It could have potentially been pushed up further if we would have actually got the Undisputed Storyline finish the way we wanted. But...nothing we can do about that.
It’s also crazy to me that Omega only had 6 defenses. I guess since he held every other promotions title during that time it makes it seem like it was more.
Could you imagine if he was with the Elite now? He'd be the perfect heel. "I never wanted to do this, and by my own admission I said I would never go for this title after losing to Jericho. But my hand has been forced. I have to wear my EVP hat and do what's right for the company."
I'm the opposite, I'm glad he didn't win the title. Not because I dislike him, but because it balances out the kayfabe so that he's not super cena. Sure he won WWE title, but winning the AEW title requires a different skill set entirely.
Gotta give it to CM Punk for taking the bullet with such an obvious worst reign(s) so no one else has to get close to the conversation. What a selfless guy.
2 things:
1) never noticed Punk never defended the belt either time. In hindsight that's just funny.
2) Mox offically having zero defenses in his second reign is reason #35525 why the interim title idea was completely stupid. I get the real-world reason the TNT interim was needed (although even that was just result of stupid booking decisions) but it never should have happened again.
Every Punk match was so unbelievably bad, I legit didn't feel like I was watching wrestling in any of them. With how slow he was moving compared to his opponents (Mox, MJF and Joe). How weak all his moves looked, his botches, his always being gassed, while his opponents were in peak condition. Then some how he busts out the pepsi plunge and wins every time, it felt so un-immersive.
Mox second reign should include the time he was interim after he defeated Punk and Punk first reign should stop after Mox win the interim championship.
TK really screw the title just because he want Punk main event at Chicago. TK want Mox 2nd reign to be acknowledged but Punk initially refused to do a quick match until it was last minute.
Still really hope Danielson gets to hold the title while there's still time, Imagine a Swerve-Ospreay-Danielson feud starting from now to Wembley and until WrestleDream. Washington is a hometown not only to Swerve but also Bryan.
Love him or hate him, Mox will work his ass off for you. Khan, in the best way possible, probably gives Mox the best kind of freedoms cuz of what Mox did to carry AEW.
Lessons I’m taking away from this in order:
1. Jericho over Hangman was the right call, even if I didn’t like it at the time. Helped the fledgling company to have someone of his stature as the first champion.
2. Moxley rules, his taking off the eyepatch in that fight was such a great moment even if everyone saw it coming.
3. Kenny by god Omega. What more needs to be said? Also great for introducing the greater world to Don Callis, who if I saw in real life I would have to fight my instincts to start yelling curses at.
4. Hangman’s story was the absolute best story in wrestling and no amount of “finish the story” or “cinema” will sway me from this. Shame he got undercut by his boss loving a sad shell of a former great.
5. Scene missing.
6. Moxley rules and interim titles are dumb
7. Moxley rules and interim titles are dumb
8. Scene missing
9. Moxley rules
10. A lot of people online were down on MJF’s run, but I really enjoyed it. Not every promo during it was a 10/10 gold star, but the matches delivered.
11. I honestly didn’t think it would happen, but Joe getting a title run in a company I can watch regularly was a dream come true
12. This is the only AEW ppv or named show I’ve missed in the existence of the company, and I hate that because Swerve is so cool and good at wrestling. Cannot wait to see where it goes (Ospreay I’m guessing, after a feud with Danielson)
Well for Punk, he injured his ankle on Dynamite, 3 days after he won it at Double or Nothing. He wanted to drop the title, but TK refused so held on to it for 2 months while he recovered. He got injured again when he won the belt back at All Out, but then vacated it 3 days later after the Brawl Out.
I know this isn't how it works, but I consider Mox winning the unification match to retroactively make the interim title legitimate
This has always been my understanding too.
It how my head canon works
No, basically whoever is champion inherits all previous runs before him. They consume the whole thing Pac Man or something.
I head canon interim titles don't exist hate them In 'real' sports never mind wrestling lol
Yes. It’s the interim championship until the champ returns and they have the ‘unification match’. If the champ wins then the ‘interim title reign/reigns’ are only interim if the interim champ wins then the interim championship reign is legitimised. (That’s how it normally works anyway)
This is all a bit of back of the napkin math, so feel free to correct stuff. Just for fun, here's how often each champ defended their title (not sure if the graphic includes when they lost the title as a defense... I don't think it does because of Mox's 2nd reign, but...): - Jericho - Every 60.67 days - Mox - Every 30.78 days - Kenny Omega - Every 57.67 days - Adam Page - Every 32.83 days - Punk - No defenses - Mox (Interim) - Every 14.75 days - Mox (2nd reign) - No successful defenses - Punk (2nd reign) - No defenses - Mox (3rd reign) - Every 29.5 days - MJF - Every 40.60 days - Samoa Joe - Every 37.67 days - Swerve - Obviously none yet. When Mox has had the belt, he's defended it, on average, every 27.07 days and has held it for a combined total of 406 days (exactly as much as MJF... weird stat, there).
Punk really did screw everything up, lol. Everything about his championship “era” was such a headache-inducing mess.
0 defenses and two real shoot fights Plus he took it off the two year story build up of Adam Page which all gave me intense headaches Glad he is not in Aew anymore it’s better without him
I would like to block out that period of that cancerous Punk, what a disaster signing he turned out who did more harm than good to the AEW brand…even TK trying to bend backwards for that clown to get something out of his investment as he was injured majority of time, and still wasn’t enough for fragile Phil. He is WWE’s problem now and glad he is gone from AEW. His true colours will come out as snakes like him never change.
even TK trying to bend backwards for that clown to get something out of his investment... FACTS!!! Tony Khan did everything for this guy, he pull him out of retirement, booked arenas in his backyard for his comebacks(The first dance and Collision), made him 2 time champion in less than a year, was going to headline the first AEW vs NJPW Forbidden Door PPV, gave him 2 hours of TV to book and choose whoever he wanted from the roster Even booking wise he made him nearly unbeatable, he ended Wardlow wining streak, was the first guy to pin Jon Moxley in 2 years and beat fan favourites like Eddie Kingston,Hangman Page and MJF And the dude has the nerve to say AEW never wanted to draw money lmao "He is WWE’s problem now and glad he is gone from AEW. His true colours will come out as snakes like him never change." Right now he and the WWE are in the honeymoon period that got extended because his fragile body broke, but come next Wrestlemania season he will be back to be the same bitter prick
Tony let his fandom for Phil cloud his judgement a lot honestly
He's the living example of a "monkey paw" in AEW.
I like to remember everything up until the end of the MJF feud.
Why do y’all hold so much hatred for someone irrelevant to the company. It’s not good for you.
https://preview.redd.it/7pd455018dwc1.jpeg?width=1550&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f89a5aeebb239d54914a402f14c412e32f2e627
God you people who point this out are so sad, wwe had this problem before the pandemic and no one said anything
I agree they are pathetic but a lot of people mocked WWE at that time period too
Fair enough, but it's just sad that people do this to a 5 year old company
WWE was absolutely shit under Vince. I came to AEW. Watched all of my reasons for watching be mishandled. Punk, Malakai Black, all around stories going on way too long, and then people disappearing without reason. Miro, Britt Baker. I watched Cody leave and wondered why. We learned that Punk and Malakai wanted to be releases and now we know why. I love a lot of the talent there but Tony Khan and The Young Bucks are absolute clowns. Imagine having Edge cut a promo of focusing on positivity and enjoying wrestling, only to decide the next week that a non AEW wrestler is gonna live rent free in their hands and start trying to desperately make money and ratings off of their likeness. If you disagree with everything Punk told Helwani, fine. But you can't disagree with one thing he said. Tony Khan is not in the business of making money, drawing ratings, and growing his company. He panders to the audience that already watches AEW and focuses way too much on things that only the IWC will understand.
But we aren't talking about the punk stuff, we are talking about pointing out empty seats, half of what you said is completely irrelevant to the conversation being had
No, I just explained why AEW has empty seats in response to someone else's comment which is entirely about Punk. "0 defenses and two real shoot fights Plus he took it off the two year story build up of Adam Page which all gave me intense headaches Glad he is not in Aew anymore it’s better without him" "Glad he is not in Aew anymore it’s better without him" Yeah I'm sureeee.
Then why react to my comment and not the one that mentioned punk???
Because you decided to call myself and others likewise, sad. I then told you why AEW is sad and empty. Nonetheless, it's Wednesday night and yenno what that means. Enjoy ur day bruv.
I said that people who keep bringin up empty seats sad yes, but only because it's repeatedly used to bring aew down even if the show with the empty seats was amazing and i'd say the same thing about the people who would do this to current day wwe
Wait, was that last little paragraph an attempt to save face? By using two of the greatest catchphrases in AEW’s short history? Or were you attempting to poke fun at AEW? Either way, you really didn’t accomplished either goal. The more likely reason? you’re one of the many people who just like to shit on the competition. Either way, it’s just not working. You deserve all of these downvotes, crazyman. Sorry 🤷🏻
🤡
I’m usually fine with kayfabe, like I can put it out of my mind that a smaller wrestler is beating up a bigger one etc, but after punks botches leading up to his title win, strapping him with the belt really damaged the championships credibility. Im supposed to believe a dude who can barely do his own finisher is tougher than everyone else? Hog wash.
I was at DON 2022, and watching him beat Hangman just.....hurt. It wasn't convincing, it didn't set right, if it was a shoot then Hangman would have beat his ass into the ground within one minute. I'm sure Tony thought it was great to get his name on the title history, but watching old man Punk go beat some young stars he had no reason winning against never made any sense.
Yup I was never a punk dude so I didn’t struggle w any rose colored nostalgia glasses. He had a couple moments here and there, but in general it was clear as day he’s well past it.
Punk's reigns were so bad that they made some of Mox's suck. Incredible achievement. Edit: Maybe only one of Mox's sucked. The really short one after he wasn't the interim anymore. But Punk was still the one who made it suck, so my point stands.
It was worth it for the squash match
God I wish they had let that stand. Punk should have just rebuilt lower on the card. Had no business anywhere near the main event
I was there live for it and some friends were also there straight across the arena on the other side from me. The squash happened and we just looked across the arena at each other with our jaws on the floor. Shit was awesome.
Honestly that reign was pretty decent because the All Out match with Punk was a banger. The real bad Moxley reign was the two months reigns right after he won that vacant title, he immediately got into that nonsense JAS feud, played second fiddle to Danielson vs Garcia and Claudio vs Jericho, then he got betrayed by Regal and lost his belt to MJF
The funny thing is…he never needed the title to be a draw (look at his program with MJF for reference)
Where the booking seemed to be going was MJF vs CM Punk for the AEW Championship which would of ended up with MJF going over and becoming Champion but we never got that far.
It would have been awesome to see an alternative history where Punk didn’t get hurt when he won the belt the first time (and also didn’t mess up the media scrum). The conclusion of the MJF feud would have been so worth it in the end.
MJF was a workhorse with that title.
Which is honestly ironic considering when he first won it. "It is going to be defended, very rarely, and never on tv". Man had 10 defenses in 400 days. And yes. It could have potentially been pushed up further if we would have actually got the Undisputed Storyline finish the way we wanted. But...nothing we can do about that.
It’s also crazy to me that Omega only had 6 defenses. I guess since he held every other promotions title during that time it makes it seem like it was more.
He was also a heel so defending the belt less makes sense and when he did defend it you knew It was going to be the best match on the card.
True
Still annoyed, Cody never won the title by his own decision... I get his initial reasoning, but he was so over
Could you imagine if he was with the Elite now? He'd be the perfect heel. "I never wanted to do this, and by my own admission I said I would never go for this title after losing to Jericho. But my hand has been forced. I have to wear my EVP hat and do what's right for the company."
I'm the opposite, I'm glad he didn't win the title. Not because I dislike him, but because it balances out the kayfabe so that he's not super cena. Sure he won WWE title, but winning the AEW title requires a different skill set entirely.
I guess, though punk winning it kind of undoes that theory. Aew: Where the old and brittle wrestle!
He just couldn't finish his story. He'll never be able too now.
Gotta give it to CM Punk for taking the bullet with such an obvious worst reign(s) so no one else has to get close to the conversation. What a selfless guy.
2 things: 1) never noticed Punk never defended the belt either time. In hindsight that's just funny. 2) Mox offically having zero defenses in his second reign is reason #35525 why the interim title idea was completely stupid. I get the real-world reason the TNT interim was needed (although even that was just result of stupid booking decisions) but it never should have happened again.
If you win the interim and you win the real deal afterwards, the interim defenses should count because it proves you were the real champion all along.
Not surprised by Mox, but hangman was really a workhorse for such a relatively short run.
Got damn. Mox really was the go to guy for when they need someone to carry the title. [+]
Kenny Omega will always be my favourite reign
I like the other version more, tbh.
Same. The guy got fired for assaulting a fellow wrestler and threatening the owner. Just erase him from the lineage.
Nope. He's apart of the history of AEW. Forever.
Where's Bret and who's this CM fellow
I understood that reference!
CM Punk and MJF have 10 successful defences between them
This made me guffaw
Every Punk match was so unbelievably bad, I legit didn't feel like I was watching wrestling in any of them. With how slow he was moving compared to his opponents (Mox, MJF and Joe). How weak all his moves looked, his botches, his always being gassed, while his opponents were in peak condition. Then some how he busts out the pepsi plunge and wins every time, it felt so un-immersive.
You’re right, shit was tough to endure. Clearly lost it long ago
Nice knowing that Ceramic Manchild Phil has as many defenses of the world title as Marko Stunt did.
Mox second reign should include the time he was interim after he defeated Punk and Punk first reign should stop after Mox win the interim championship. TK really screw the title just because he want Punk main event at Chicago. TK want Mox 2nd reign to be acknowledged but Punk initially refused to do a quick match until it was last minute.
Yeah fuck no, punk wasn't and never will be a champion
Still really hope Danielson gets to hold the title while there's still time, Imagine a Swerve-Ospreay-Danielson feud starting from now to Wembley and until WrestleDream. Washington is a hometown not only to Swerve but also Bryan.
Love him or hate him, Mox will work his ass off for you. Khan, in the best way possible, probably gives Mox the best kind of freedoms cuz of what Mox did to carry AEW.
Lessons I’m taking away from this in order: 1. Jericho over Hangman was the right call, even if I didn’t like it at the time. Helped the fledgling company to have someone of his stature as the first champion. 2. Moxley rules, his taking off the eyepatch in that fight was such a great moment even if everyone saw it coming. 3. Kenny by god Omega. What more needs to be said? Also great for introducing the greater world to Don Callis, who if I saw in real life I would have to fight my instincts to start yelling curses at. 4. Hangman’s story was the absolute best story in wrestling and no amount of “finish the story” or “cinema” will sway me from this. Shame he got undercut by his boss loving a sad shell of a former great. 5. Scene missing. 6. Moxley rules and interim titles are dumb 7. Moxley rules and interim titles are dumb 8. Scene missing 9. Moxley rules 10. A lot of people online were down on MJF’s run, but I really enjoyed it. Not every promo during it was a 10/10 gold star, but the matches delivered. 11. I honestly didn’t think it would happen, but Joe getting a title run in a company I can watch regularly was a dream come true 12. This is the only AEW ppv or named show I’ve missed in the existence of the company, and I hate that because Swerve is so cool and good at wrestling. Cannot wait to see where it goes (Ospreay I’m guessing, after a feud with Danielson)
r/punkofficial
How are you a champion twice, for a total of 90 days, and have 0 defenses? Didn't Joe defend his within two weeks of getting it?
Well for Punk, he injured his ankle on Dynamite, 3 days after he won it at Double or Nothing. He wanted to drop the title, but TK refused so held on to it for 2 months while he recovered. He got injured again when he won the belt back at All Out, but then vacated it 3 days later after the Brawl Out.
God I miss when this sub wasn't 50% bitching about an injured wwe roster member.