CM Punk Sidelined With Injury, Still AEW World Champion

AEW World champion CM Punk announced during Friday night's AEW Rampage broadcast that he will need to undergo surgery due to a broken foot.

However, Punk is still officially the AEW World champion, despite the injury.

Punk spoke about his injury in an emotional speech on Friday, revealing that he would require surgery. Punk then added that he didn't want to hold AEW up and was willing to relinquish the championship, but Tony Khan told him he didn't have to. Punk vowed that he would be back.

With Punk sidelined for the foreseeable future, an "interim" champion will be crowned at Forbidden Door on June 26 in Chicago.

Jon Moxley has been declared the number one contender for the title. On this Wednesday's Dynamite, a battle royal will be held in the opening match. The winner of that battle royal will face Moxley in the evening's main event. That winner will go on to Forbidden Door to face an unknown individual for the interim title.

Whomever wins the title match at Forbidden Door will reign as "interim" AEW champion until Punk is healthy. When that happens, the interim champion will face a returning Punk in order to determine the "undisputed" AEW World champion.