Who Will Be AEW's Interim World Champion? Favourites Revealed!
Jon Moxley, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and the favourites to be crowned interim AEW World Champion.
All Elite Wrestling will take its first steps towards crowning an interim World Champion this Wednesday, attempting to plug the gap left behind by CM Punk following news of his injury.
Punk, the reigning AEW World Champion, confirmed on Friday's Rampage that he was injured, necessitating surgery. Although he'd be out of action for a while, company president Tony Khan was letting him retain the World Title won from 'Hangman' Adam Page at Double Or Nothing 2022 (29 May), though an interim champion would be crowned in his absence.
The Interim World Championship Series was announced soon after. Jon Moxley will wrestle a battle royal winner on this week's Dynamite, advancing to face either Hirooki Goto or Hiroshi Tanahashi at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door (26 June), depending on the outcome of the New Japan duo's 12 June singles match. The victor in that final bout will be crowned interim champion.
Theoretically, it could be anyone on the AEW roster, as the promotion is yet to announce the battle royal's participants. Nonetheless, the latest Figure Four Online/Wrestling Observer Daily Update listed the current betting favourites.
Moxley unsurprisingly sits atop the pile. Amusingly, giving his reputation for never winning the big one in NJPW, Goto is at the bottom:-
- Jon Moxley -150
- Adam Page +300
- Bryan Danielson +300
- MJF +300
- Hiroshi Tanahashi +500
- Adam Cole +1200
- Eddie Kingston +2200
- Chris Jericho +2500
- Miro +4000
- Wardlow +4000
- Hirooki Goto +5000
Whether or not AEW will announce the battle royal participants prior to Dynamite is unclear.