AEW World Championship
The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on May 25, 2019, it is the promotion's top championship and is presented as being AEW's most prestigious title. Chris Jericho was the inaugural champion. The current champion is MJF, who is in his first reign, which is the longest reign in the title's history. He won the title by defeating Jon Moxley at Full Gear on November 19, 2022, which was MJF's Casino Poker Chip cash-in match.
| AEW World Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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The custom "Big Burberry Belt" of current champion MJF | |||||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date established | May 25, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Current champion(s) | MJF | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date won | November 19, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
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History edit
On January 1, 2019, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was founded and its inaugural event and pay-per-view (PPV), Double or Nothing, was scheduled for May 25.[2][3][4] The unveiling of the promotion's men's world championship was first teased on AEW's YouTube channel on May 22, where actor and comedian Jack Whitehall humorously attempted to reveal the title belt but struggled to get the championship out of its bag. During that same video, Whitehall revealed that the winner of Double or Nothing's Buy In pre-show battle royal, called the Casino Battle Royale, would face the winner of the PPV's main event at a future date to determine the inaugural AEW World Champion.[5] AEW president Tony Khan confirmed that since the promotion would not have weight divisions, the AEW World Championship was not a "heavyweight championship".[6]
At Double or Nothing, the pre-show Casino Battle Royale was won by "Hangman" Adam Page,[7] while Chris Jericho defeated Kenny Omega in the PPV's main event, setting up the inaugural championship match. During the event, pro-wrestling veteran Bret Hart unveiled the AEW World Championship belt.[8] Shortly after Double or Nothing, the inaugural championship match was scheduled for AEW's PPV, All Out, on August 31.[9] At All Out, Jericho defeated Page in the main event to become the inaugural champion.[10] The following day, it was reported by Tallahassee Police that the physical championship belt was stolen from Jericho's limousine while he was traveling;[11] it was recovered on September 4.[12]
On the June 3, 2022, episode of Rampage, reigning champion CM Punk, who had won the title just days prior at Double or Nothing, announced that he was injured and required surgery. He initially wanted to relinquish the title; however, AEW president Tony Khan decided that an interim champion would be crowned until Punk's return, after which, Punk would face the interim champion to determine the undisputed champion. To determine the interim champion, AEW set up the AEW Interim World Championship Eliminator Series that would culminate in a match at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door on June 26, a co-promoted event between AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).[13][14] The first two matches took place on the June 8 episode of Dynamite. A Casino Battle Royale opened the show, which Kyle O'Reilly won. O'Reilly then faced the number one ranked singles competitor Jon Moxley in the main event of the episode, which Moxley won.[15] The third match took place on June 12 at NJPW's Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto, which Tanahashi won; Tanahashi was originally scheduled to face Punk at Forbidden Door for the title before Punk's injury.[16][17] At Forbidden Door, Moxley defeated Tanahashi to become the interim AEW World Champion.[18] Punk made his return in early August and was defeated by Moxley on the August 24 episode of Dynamite in a match to determine the undisputed champion.[19]
During the All Out post-event media scrum on September 5, CM Punk, who had just won his second AEW World Championship at the event, got into a legitimate physical altercation backstage with AEW executive vice presidents Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson), following berating comments he had made about them and others during the scrum. As a result, AEW president Tony Khan suspended all involved.[20] On the September 7 episode of Dynamite, Khan announced that both the World Championship and Trios Championship, held by Omega and the Bucks, were vacated. Khan then announced that there would be a tournament to crown a new AEW World Champion. The AEW Grand Slam Tournament of Champions began that same episode and continued across episodes of Dynamite and Rampage until its conclusion at Dynamite: Grand Slam on September 21. Tournament competitors included Bryan Danielson, "Hangman" Adam Page, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Chris Jericho, and Jon Moxley.[21] In the tournament final at Grand Slam, Moxley defeated Danielson to win the championship for a record third time.[22]
"Real World Championship" edit
CM Punk returned to AEW for the debut episode of Collision on June 17, 2023. During his promo, he held a red bag he described as containing "something he never lost".[23] The following month, Punk unveiled the contents of the bag to be the AEW World Championship belt that he had won at the 2022 All Out. He subsequently referred to himself as the "real world's champion" as he was never defeated for the title, and then spray painted a black X on the center plate (the X being a symbol Punk had used throughout his career in reference to his straight edge lifestyle). While Punk's "Real World Championship" was not officially recognized by AEW, Punk made defenses of the title on AEW programming.[24][25][26] However, following a backstage incident that occurred at the All In event on August 27, Punk's contract was terminated with the "Real World Championship" angle subsequently dropped.[27]
Belt design edit
The standard AEW World Championship belt has five plates on a black leather strap, and the plates are silver and gold. The large center plate prominently has a relief AEW logo at the center, with a diamond outline behind the logo. Above the logo is a banner that reads "WORLD", while below the logo is another banner that reads "CHAMPION". At the end of each of these banners are parts of the globe. Below the lower banner is a nameplate to display the reigning champion's name. Filigree fills in the rest of the plate. The two inner side plates are tall and narrow, with the AEW logo again at the center. Above and below this logo are two halves of the globe. The two outer side plates are similar to the inner ones but slightly smaller. The belt design was inspired by the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship belt, and AEW wanted their design to be significantly similar to that belt. It was created by well-known professional wrestling championship belt maker Dave Millican.[28]
Custom design edit
On the November 30, 2022, episode of Dynamite, reigning champion MJF, who had just won the title at Full Gear on November 19, discarded the standard AEW World Championship belt, calling it trash, and unveiled his own custom version, which he dubbed the "Big Burberry Belt", or Triple-B for short. It features the exact same design as the standard belt; however, the leather strap is brown and fashioned in Burberry's trademark check pattern to match MJF's signature Burberry scarf.[29][30]
Reigns edit
As of November 2, 2023, there have been nine reigns between six champions and one vacancy, as well as one interim champion. Chris Jericho was the inaugural champion. Jon Moxley has the most reigns at three and also served as the interim champion in mid-2022 while reigning lineal champion CM Punk was out with an injury (this is not counted as one of Moxley's three reigns). MJF's ongoing reign is the longest at 348+ days, while Punk's second reign is the shortest at 3 days. Jericho is the oldest champion when he won it at 48 years old, while MJF is the youngest champion at 26 years old.
MJF is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Jon Moxley for the title at Full Gear on November 19, 2022, in Newark, New Jersey, which was MJF's Casino Poker Chip cash-in match.
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
| 1 | Chris Jericho | August 31, 2019 | All Out | Hoffman Estates, IL | 1 | 182 | Defeated "Hangman" Adam Page to become the inaugural champion. | [9][31] |
| 2 | Jon Moxley | February 29, 2020 | Revolution | Chicago, IL | 1 | 277 | [32] | |
| 3 | Kenny Omega | December 2, 2020 | Dynamite: Winter Is Coming | Jacksonville, FL | 1 | 346 | [33] | |
| 4 | "Hangman" Adam Page | November 13, 2021 | Full Gear | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | 197 | [34] | |
| 5 | CM Punk | May 29, 2022 | Double or Nothing | Paradise, NV | 1 | 87 | [35] | |
| — | Jon Moxley | June 26, 2022 | AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door | Chicago, IL | — | 59 | Lineal champion CM Punk was originally scheduled to defend the title against Hiroshi Tanahashi at this event, but was pulled due to suffering a foot injury. Moxley defeated Tanahashi in a tournament final to become the interim champion. | [16][18] |
| 6 | Jon Moxley | August 24, 2022 | Dynamite | Cleveland, OH | 2 | 11 | Defeated lineal champion CM Punk to determine the undisputed champion. AEW officially recognizes this as the start of Moxley's second reign. | [19] |
| 7 | CM Punk | September 4, 2022 | All Out | Hoffman Estates, IL | 2 | 3 | [36] | |
| — | Vacated | September 7, 2022 | Dynamite | Buffalo, NY | — | — | CM Punk was stripped of the title after being suspended by AEW president Tony Khan following a legitimate backstage physical altercation that occurred during the All Out post-event media scrum.[a] | [37][24][27] |
| 8 | Jon Moxley | September 21, 2022 | Dynamite: Grand Slam | Flushing, Queens, NY | 3 | 59 | Defeated Bryan Danielson in a tournament final for the vacant title. | [22] |
| 9 | MJF | November 19, 2022 | Full Gear | Newark, NJ | 1 | 348+ | This was MJF's Casino Poker Chip cash-in match. | [38] |
Combined reigns edit
As of November 2, 2023.
| † | Indicates the current champion |
|---|
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MJF † | 1 | 348+ |
| 2 | Jon Moxley | 3 | 347[b] |
| 3 | Kenny Omega | 1 | 346 |
| 4 | "Hangman" Adam Page | 1 | 197 |
| 5 | Chris Jericho | 1 | 182 |
| 6 | CM Punk | 2 | 90 |
References edit
- ^ AEW Dynamite: Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley have weigh-in
- ^ Ghosh, Pratyay (January 2, 2019). . Fox Sports Asia. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ Pratt, Emily (January 1, 2019). "The Young Bucks And Cody Officially Announced All Elite Wrestling And Released Some Details". Uproxx. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ Fritz, Brian (January 8, 2019). "Shad and Tony Khan comment on launch of All Elite Wrestling". Sportingnews. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling (May 22, 2019). Actor & comedian Jack Whitehall reveals Huge AEW World Championship Final Eliminators #AEWDoN. YouTube. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ Killam, Mike (May 26, 2019). "Tony Khan On His Wrestling Fandom Fueling AEW, Weight Classes, Women's Wrestling Diversity & More". ProWrestling.com. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
Question: Will AEW have weight divisions? Khan: No. I'm not planning on weight divisions. ... I want to have a world championship, and that's going to be the world championship – not the heavyweight [championship].
- ^ Powell, Jason (May 25, 2019). "AEW The Buy In pre-show results: Powell's live review of the Casino Battle Royale, Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (May 25, 2019). "AEW Double Or Nothing results: Powell's live review of Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho, The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr. and Fenix for the AAA Tag Titles, Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes, Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ a b AEW Staff (May 31, 2019). "Hangman Page vs. Chris Jericho For The AEW World Championship Officially Set For All Out". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- ^ Staszewecki, Joseph (September 2019). "AEW got it right by crowning Chris Jericho champ at All Out". New York Post. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (September 3, 2019). "AEW World Champion Chris Jericho reports title belt stolen". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Brookhouse, Brent (September 4, 2019). "Chris Jericho's missing AEW world championship belt retrieved by police in Florida". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- ^ "Official AEW announcement on crowing of interim champion". PWInsider. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ Currier, Joseph. "AEW World Champion CM Punk to Undergo Surgery After Injury". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ McGuire, Colin (June 3, 2022). "6/3 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's review of CM Punk's announcement, 'The Young Bucks' Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix, Scorpio Sky vs. Dante Martin for the TNT Title, Athena vs. Kiera Hogan". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Guzzo, Gisberto (June 4, 2022). "AEW Announces Multi-Stage Interim World Championship Eliminator Series". Fightful. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ "2022.06.12 Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (June 26, 2022). "AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Interim AEW World Title, Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hangman Page vs. Adam Cole for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, Thunder Rosa vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women's Title, Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy for the IWGP U.S. Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Barnett, Jake (August 24, 2022). "8/24 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley for the unified AEW World Championship, Death Triangle vs. Will Ospreay and Aussie Open in an AEW Trios Title tournament match, Dax Harwood vs. Jay Lethal, Billy Gunn vs. Colten Gunn, Britt Baker vs. KiLynn King, Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia meeting". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Report: AEW Members Suspended After 'All Out' Altercation". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (September 7, 2022). "#AEW President & CEO @TonyKhan is here to address both the #AEW World Championship & #AEW World Trios Championship. Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS right now!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (September 21, 2022). "9/21 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson for the vacant AEW World Championship, Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee vs. The Acclaimed for the AEW Tag Titles, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho for the ROH Title, Toni Storm vs. Athena vs. Britt Baker vs. Serena Deeb for the Interim AEW Women's Title, Pac vs. Orange Cassidy for the AEW All-Atlantic Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Barrasso, Justin (June 20, 2023). "CM Punk's Long-Awaited Return Is the Boost AEW Sorely Needed". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Defelice, Robert (July 29, 2023). "CM Punk Takes His 'Real' AEW World Championship Out Of The Bag, Spray Paints It With An 'X'". Fightful. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Knight, Cain A. (August 5, 2023). "CM Punk's real world championship doesn't change hands opposite SummerSlam". Cageside Seats. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (August 19, 2023). "CM Punk To Defend 'Real' World Title Against Samoa Joe At AEW All In". Fightful. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Barrasso, Justin (September 2, 2023). "Breaking: CM Punk Finished In AEW". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Andrew (June 12, 2019). "Cody Rhodes Says AEW World Title Is About Five Pounds Heavier Than The IWGP Heavyweight Title". Fightful. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ Nason, Josh (November 30, 2022). "MJF unveils 'Triple B' version of AEW World title, knocks out William Regal". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Russell, Skylar (November 30, 2022). "MJF Unveils Custom AEW World Championship Belt On 11/30 Dynamite, Turns On William Regal". Fightful. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Jason (August 31, 2019). "AEW All Out results: Powell's live review of Chris Jericho vs. Hangman Adam Page to become the first AEW Champion, Pentagon Jr. and Fenix vs. The Young Bucks in a ladder match for the AAA Tag Titles, Cody vs. Shawn Spears, Kenny Omega vs. Pac". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (February 29, 2020). "AEW Revolution results: Powell's live review of Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. The Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Titles, Cody vs. MJF, Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women's Championship, Pac vs. Orange Cassidy". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (December 2, 2020). "12/02 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship, Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal, Chris Jericho vs. Frankie Kazarian, Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes vs. Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks, Britt Baker vs. Leyla Hirsch". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (November 13, 2021). "AEW Full Gear results: Barnett's live review of Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship, Bryan Danielson vs. Miro in the eliminator tournament finals, Penta and Rey Fenix vs. FTR for the AEW Tag Titles, CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston, Britt Baker vs. Tay Conti for the AEW Women's Title, Darby Allin vs. MJF". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Powell, Jason (May 29, 2022). "AEW Double Or Nothing results: Powell's live review of Hangman Page vs. CM Punk for the AEW Championship, MJF vs. Wardlow, Thunder Rosa vs. Serena Deeb for the AEW Women's Title, Owen Hart Cup tournament finals, The Hardys vs. The Young Bucks, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus vs. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland for the AEW Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Jason (September 4, 2022). "AEW All Out results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk for the AEW World Championship, Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida for the Interim AEW Women's Title, Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson, Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry vs. Christian Cage, Casino Ladder Match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (September 8, 2022). "9/7 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Tony Khan addressing the status of the AEW World Championship and AEW Trios Titles, MJF's return promo, Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia for the ROH Pure Rules Title, Death Triangle vs. Best Friends, Interim AEW Women's Champ Toni Storm vs. Penelope Ford in an eliminator match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Jason (November 19, 2022). "AEW Full Gear results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. MJF for the AEW World Championship, The Acclaimed vs. Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee for the AEW Tag Titles, Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter for the Interim AEW Women's Title, Death Triangle vs. The Elite for the AEW Trios Titles, Saraya vs. Britt Baker". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
Notes edit
- ^ After Punk's return the following year, he claimed that he was the "Real World Champion"; however, this was not recognized by AEW, and after Punk was released following another backstage physical altercation at All In on August 27, 2023, the "Real World Championship" angle was dropped.
- ^ 406 days if interim championship reign is included
External links edit
- Official AEW World Title History