"The Interim Champion needs to be the strongest heel with a big mouth" - WWE legend questions AEW's booking of current storyline involving CM Punk

Jim Cornette recently slammed Tony Khan for his creative decisions following former WWE Champion CM Punk's injury.

After winning the AEW World Championship, The Second City Saint announced that he would be out of action due to injury, but would not be relinquishing his title. Jon Moxley was crowned the interim World Champion after a grueling tournament. This decision was recently called out by WWE legend Jim Cornette, who discussed why a heel should've been the interim champion, on Jim Cornette Experience podcast.

"Once Tony had made that decision, to create an Interim Champion, and not to strip Punk, then obviously not only any genius, but anybody that just knows anything would have said, 'Okay, the Interim Champion needs to be the strongest heel I’ve got with a big mouth.' Because that Interim Champion needs to win that Interim Title and he needs to crow about it and he needs to get some wins every week against the majority of my roster, we got to keep him strong.” (H/T: InsideTheRopes)

Cornette further explained how this would make Punk's return more impactful, giving fans a charged storyline to root for. However, Tony Khan seems to have chosen a different route for now. What has he planned for the former WWE Champion's eventual return? Only time will tell.

CM Punk's take on the competition between WWE and AEW

All Elite Wrestling's biggest competitor is still ahead in terms of mainstream popularity, despite Tony Khan sparing no effort in developing his brand.

In a recent appearance on The Hashtag Show, CM Punk stated that the battle between the brands could end either way. However, he believes that although AEW is a viable product, it may not be enough to beat the Stamford-based company's monopoly.

Punk has had a stellar run in AEW ever since he came out of retirement in 2021. Only time will tell what is next for the top star in the coming years.