CM Punk has declared himself the true AEW World Champion.
The Second City Saint cut a promo on this evening’s AEW Collision in Connecticut, where he finally unveiled what he’s been carrying in that red bag since his return to the company on June 5th. It was his AEW World title, the one he won after defeating Jon Moxley for the gold at ALL OUT 2022, but was stripped of due to the Brawl Out incident that took place after.
Punk called himself the true champion of AEW since he was never pinned or submitted for the belt. He spray paints an X on the title and reminds fans that it is a symbol that represents him, a Straight Edge superstar “who is better than you.” Ricky Starks would then come out and tell Punk that he deserves a shot at the title since he’s defeated Punk twice on Collision. Punk is hesitant at first, telling Starks that he only won because he cheated, but agrees to a match, which will take place on next week’s AEW Collision in North Carolina.
That’s not all. Punk tells Starks that to be sure he doesn’t cheat again he will have a special guest referee officiating the action. The referee? WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat.
Check out the segment below.