On Friday night, the wrestling world was shocked when CM Punk announced during Rampage he was injured and needed surgery. And while he isn’t being stripped of the title, it is undoubtedly a massive blow to the company and Punk, with him having won the belt less than a week ago. So now, an interim champion will be crowned, and the process to crown that person will commence on Wednesday night’s Dynamite.
Precisely how Punk was injured hasn’t been revealed, but from watching back his last match, which was last Wednesday teaming with FTR against Max Caster and The Gunn Club, it appears it occurred when he landed on his left leg when coming off the top rope for a springboard. Now, adding more background, PWinsider has gone on to report it wasn’t until Friday afternoon that the company got confirmation he required surgery, which likely explains why the full details of the interim championship plan weren’t clear during the broadcast.
How long Punk will miss from the ring remains unknown, yet typically foot surgery would put someone out for at least 3 to 4 months, and depending on how severe the injury is could be as long as a year. However, considering AEW hasn’t stripped Punk of the title, it seems more likely to be the former. On the plus side, though, it has given AEW a big money match for when Punk can return.
