Tony Khan claims popular AEW star wanted to relinquish title
Tony Khan has faced quite a challenging year in AEW so far, which all began when numerous stars suffered injuries. The AEW President recently spoke on the topic of interim championships and how one star wanted to relinquish the belt instead of stepping aside.
Tony Khan has received quite a lot of flak online about instating interim championships instead of stripping the star of their belt. This was first noted when Cody Rhodes contracted COVID-19, resulting in a unification match between him and Sammy Guevara in 2021. CM Punk and Jon Moxley recently had their unification match following Punk's injury hiatus, which resulted in Punk losing the title entirely.
While speaking on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan revealed that Thunder Rosa initially wanted to relinquish the Women's Championship after her injury surfaced.
“I have told her [Thunder Rosa] just as I mentioned to CM Punk when he was injured that, ‘I would like for you to remain the champion. Get healthy, come back’ and we’ll have a big unification match to crown an undisputed champion when Thunder Rosa returns," Khan said.
Ahead of the 4-way Battle for the #AEW Interim Women’s World Championship at #AEWAllOut Sunday September 4 LIVE on PPV, Dr. @RealBrittBaker D.M.D & @jmehytr team up to collide with @shidahikaru & #ToniStorm this WEDNESDAY on #AEWDynamite at 8pm ET/7pm CT & 8pm PT LIVE on TBS! https://t.co/2NQSCcSNfh
Khan continued, noting how he persuaded both stars from stepping down.
"Both of them offered to relinquish the title and I told each of them, separately, when they came back from their injuries, they would still be recognized as the champion but by the time they came back, there would be an interim champion which would set up an exciting situation.” (H/T: POSTWrestling)
Currently, the Interim AEW Women's World Champion is set to be determined this Sunday at All Out 2022 when Britt Baker, Toni Storm, Hikaru Shida, and Jamie Hayter all clash in a Fourway match.
Missed the latest AEW Dynamite? Catch up on the show's results here.
Tony Khan recently addressed the difference in TV time between Thunder Rosa and CM Punk's injury announcement promos
Tony Khan has often had his booking decisions criticized by fans and wrestling veterans alike. The recent decision to give Thunder Rosa only a few minutes to announce her injury and the interim Championship match was compared to CM Punk's similar promo months ago.
During the recent AEW All Out 2022 media call, Tony Khan gave a candid response to the criticism, explaining how the two situations differed.
"If you want my honest opinion on an eight-minute Thunder Rosa promo vs an eight-minute CM Punk promo, then you're going to get an honest answer," Khan said. "I think the eight-minute CM Punk promo is probably going to do a better rating." (H/T to Wrestling Inc.)
Get well soon, champ ❤️
@thunderrosa22 steps down as AEW Women's World Champion due to injury #AEWDynamite https://t.co/ZTPAlMdJi9
There's currently no window for Thunder Rosa's return. There have been rumors circulating that the star has taken a step back due to backstage heat instead of an injury. Regardless, could fans see Britt Baker regain the belt or will Toni Storm stand triumphantly after this Sunday?