Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Championship days after CM Punk captured WWE’s top title was not AEW trying to steal Punk’s thunder. The timing may have fueled the argument, but Omega’s victory over MJF had been planned for months.
Fightful Select addressed the talk after Omega dethroned MJF in the main event of AEW Dynamite. Punk had defeated Sami Zayn for the WWE Championship on the July 6 episode of Monday Night Raw, leading some people to believe AEW quickly answered by putting its own title on Omega. That claim was shot down multiple times.
“There was a talking point that AEW did their title change on television to ‘steal thunder’ from CM Punk’s title win. It was reiterated repeatedly that this wasn’t the case.”
AEW did not suddenly change its championship plans after seeing Punk win on Raw. Omega had been set to defeat MJF for months, and the company had no intention of permanently removing him from the World Championship picture.
“Kenny Omega had been planned to win the World Title from MJF for months. The alternative was Omega not challenging for the World Title again, which was not a move AEW was looking to execute.”
Omega’s match with MJF carried a massive stipulation. Had Omega lost, he would never be allowed to challenge for the AEW World Championship again. That made the planned result even more obvious behind the scenes. AEW was not looking to shut Omega out of its top championship scene, especially after building the match around his final opportunity. The plan was also put together before Sami Zayn captured WWE’s title, which means it was in place before Punk even had a championship to take from him.
“The plan for the match on AEW television was set before the Sami Zayn title win even happened.”
Punk’s victory over Zayn and Omega’s victory over MJF happened within the same week, but that is where the connection ends. AEW had already decided Omega would leave Dynamite with the championship, and Punk’s WWE title win had nothing to do with it.
The close timing guaranteed comparisons between the two companies, especially with Punk and Omega now holding their respective promotions’ top championships. Still, AEW did not crown Omega as an answer to Punk. The plan was already locked in before Punk’s championship story even reached that point.
Do you believe Kenny Omega’s AEW World Championship victory was completely unrelated to CM Punk winning WWE’s title, or was the timing still too perfect to ignore? Leave your feedback in the comments below.
