CM Punk came out to address some things during tonight’s AEW Collision, and with Tony Schiavone by his side, he once again had that mysterious red bag. Punk finally revealed what was in that bag, and it turned out to be what most people thought, which was the AEW World Championship that Punk reclaimed at All Out before the Title was vacated. Punk called it the true AEW World Championship and then did a bit of a customization job by spraying a black x over top of it. The surprises weren’t done though, as we would get a Title match and a wrestling legend joining the fun as a guest referee.
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Ricky Starks came out to interrupt Punk and started to gloat about his two big wins against Punk over the past few weeks, but Punk pointed out that he had cheated in both of those wins, crediting the referees for the wins more than Starks. Starks argued it didn’t matter and that he still would beat Punk again.
Punk then asked if he wanted a shot at the Title, and antagonized Stark as he continued his promo. Punk asked again if he was asking for a Title shot, and Starks said he deserved a shot at the “champ”. Punk was happy to oblige, but did say that if this was going to happen, he would want a special referee to make sure things were on the up and up throughout the match.
Starks agreed without hesitation, saying if he could pin him once, he could do it twice. Starks didn’t even care who the referee was, as he said that it’s pretty well known that Punk doesn’t have many friends. Starks said whether he needed to head back home or talk to someone in Stamford, he was free to get a special referee. Punk then revealed he already had someone in mind, and it was locked in.
Once Starks agreed, Punk introduced someone who would call it down the middle and someone who is an absolute wrestling legend. That would be Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat, who will guest referee the match and make sure there aren’t any shenanigans happening throughout. No other stipulations are expected, but the match itself will take place on next week’s Collision and will be the first time Punk has defended a Title since the show launched.
How exactly Punk’s Title fits in with the AEW World Championship held by MJF remains to be seen. Punk has said he never lost the Title and is now declaring himself the real World Champion. After All Out, Punk and The Elite both had to vacate their Championships, and new Champions were crowned. Now Punk is back in AEW and feels he should still be Champ, so it will be interesting to see how AEW approaches the Championship.
Are you excited for Punk vs Starks, and do you agree with Punk or Starks? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!
