>>18435121It was the AEW World Championship belt—the same one CM Punk won from Jon Moxley at All Out 2022—that he claimed as his “Real World Championship” in mid‑2023. During an episode of AEW Collision on July29, 2023, Punk unveiled the belt from a red bag, declaring he was the “real” AEW world champion since he’d never been defeated for it. He then spray‑painted a large black “X” across the center plate—his well‑known straight‑edge symbol, proclaiming “straight edge means I’m better than you.”
Although AEW never officially recognized that version of the title, Punk defended it on TV—most notably retaining it against Ricky Starks and later Samoa Joe at All In on August27, 2023—before his contract was terminated following a backstage altercation. The storyline Real World Championship was quietly dropped thereafter.
