So the AEW X division championship

[Lance Uppercut]

Everyone just accepting that it’s the world title?

Ricky starks demandin title shots and cm punk “defending” his title and announcers are just like “ok. World title match next week”.

Not to mention, no rebuttal from mjf, coming out with his belt and announced as world champion during his entrance

[Deleted]

You mean the Twitter Division Championship?

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Jul 31, 2023 14:25:28 GMT -5 Lance Uppercut said:

Everyone just accepting that it’s the world title?

Ricky starks demandin title shots and cm punk “defending” his title and announcers are just like “ok. World title match next week”.

Not to mention, no rebuttal from mjf, coming out with his belt and announced as world champion during his entrance

CM Punk is calling it the world title, he is calling it the "Real World Title"

Ricky wants it because it means something to Punk, and he wants to prove he's the real face of the brand

Why would MJF give a shit when he's the actual AEW World Champion? CM Punk has the equivalent to the FTW title, a rogue belt he is claiming is real and he's the champion. MJF won't give a shit until it's time to "unify" them in an actual title match.

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

Jul 31, 2023 14:25:28 GMT -5 Lance Uppercut said:

Everyone just accepting that it’s the world title?

Ricky starks demandin title shots and cm punk “defending” his title and announcers are just like “ok. World title match next week”.

Not to mention, no rebuttal from mjf, coming out with his belt and announced as world champion during his entrance

In kayfabe: MJF was busy preparing for his tag team title match with his new best bud and didn't have time for Punk's shenanigans.

In reality: Let the story play out, seems pretty apparent this is all leading to Punk/MJF at All Out. MJF will show up soon enough.

[Denny Zen is Cooking™]

Just to give an abridged version of my comment on this issue in the Punk scrum thread.

I despise this storyline, and all storylines like it. It’s exactly what I hoped wouldn’t happen when it was first announced that CM Punk was returning, effectively as the main character of his “own” show.
It’s just absolutely awful and, to me, completely undermines the real world championship.

There’s a path forward to make this all an interesting and fulfilling angle. If MJF beats Punk decisively and “unifies” the championships, I will have mostly enjoyed the angle. But, if Punk continues to defend this fake championship, and people like Ricky Starks continue challenging him for the fake championship for months before we get to the Punk/MJF feud so that Collision can have a de facto championship, it’s going to really sour me on AEW. It makes whoever is challenging for the fake belt look like a moron for doing that, instead of targeting the real world champ. If it ends with an officially recognized “Collision World Championship” it’ll sour me enough that I’ll probably take a break from watching.

WWE’s single worst feature is that there are 3 “world titles.” I really don’t want that nonsense bleeding over into AEW.

[Dub H]

AXW Title is less legit than the FTW Title.

[xxshoyuweeniexx]

Calling it the “Real World Title” makes it sound like something Miz created.

[Fade]

Jul 31, 2023 14:44:21 GMT -5 Dub H said:

AXW Title is less legit than the FTW Title.

AXW was my least favorite e-fed growing up.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Jul 31, 2023 14:44:21 GMT -5 Dub H said:

AXW Title is less legit than the FTW Title.

That's the point.

Like it just is... it's a vanity belt where one guy thinks he's the champion, much like the FTW belt, it's humored by AEW but it is not recognized as the AEW title.

He has to call it the REAL world championship, it's spelling out to everyone how much it isn't lol

[Cyno]

Are people this bad at media literacy where they think anyone but Punk and maybe his most diehard fans are treating this as a legit championship?

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

I feel like almost every major wrestling promotion has done something like this. It's a classic wrestling storyline.

[Chiral]

Jul 31, 2023 16:06:24 GMT -5 Cyno said:

Are people this bad at media literacy where they think anyone but Punk and maybe his most diehard fans are treating this as a legit championship?

The graphic thing just bugs me, just put some quotation marks around "Real" AEW, I have decent media literacy I promise 😭

[Rave]

Never thought I'd see the day I could compare Punk to TNA and MJF to WWE in the "PAY ATTENTION TO ME DAMNIT" department, but here we are.

[Deleted]

I'll buy All In at a price of 100$ if I get a promo leading into it where MJF says something to the effect of "This might still be yours if you could defend it more than once without hurting yourself"

[Mozenrath]

I presume that once the Starks feud resolves, MJF will be more likely to acknowledge it, probably while saying it wasn't worth paying attention to prior.

[Jumpin' Jesse Walsh]

They should blur it out whenever it appears on TV with the most bush league graphics like they did with Flair's belt in 1991.

[Starshine]

It's just that annoying wrestling thing where guys don't talk generally about stuff that doesn't directly relate to whatever their current angle is.

If pro wrestling could get better writers you probably wouldn't see these sort of holes in the narrative. But this is the world we live in.

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

Jul 31, 2023 16:13:49 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

I feel like almost every major wrestling promotion has done something like this. It's a classic wrestling storyline.

Yeah, for a heel. Not your top face. The dude got injured twice and never defended the belt and he's supposed to be the good guy?

[Billie Gein]

I'm cool with Punk thinking it's the real world championship, cool with Ricky wanting to take it away from Punk. Where I start to go 'ehhh' is when Tony Khan tweets out a match graphic which says 'REAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: CM Punk vs Ricky Starks'. But I have decided to headcanon away this nitpick by pretending that Tony is in kayfabe trying to petulantly undermine MJF as the real champion because of the whole 'fire me ya mark' thing.

[Lupin the Third]

"What we have right now....is A MAN.....THAT'LL WALK AROUND TOWN TONIGHT.....CLAIMING TO BE.....THE REAL WORLD'S CHAMPION!!!"