Plans change all the time in wrestling. People get injured, suspended, or in some extreme cases, both. There has been a lot of that over the summer in AEW which has meant the matches and events fans have seen have likely been very different from what Tony Khan planned. That includes the main event scene above all else which got more and more convoluted as the summer progressed.

The Original Plan For All Out's Main Event

CM Punk kicked off the summer by winning the AEW Title only to suffer an injury that meant an Interim Champion needed to be crowned. Turns out had that not happened, the summer would have culminated with a second showdown between Punk and MJF at All Out. A clash that would have made all the sense in the world.

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It was revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio this week (H/T to Inside The Ropes for the transcription) that Punk versus MJF was the original plan. “The original plan for Chicago was Punk/MJF but because Punk got hurt and had to win the [unified] championship, they had to delay Punk and MJF,” Dave Meltzer explained.

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Can't Happen At Full Gear Either

Punk faced Jon Moxley at All Out instead, winning the title on the same show that MJF picked up the casino chip allowing him to challenge for that title whenever he likes. From there, the plan was for MJF to cash in that chip for a match at Full Gear. Change of plans again as for the second time in two matches, Punk suffered an injury that resulted in him needing time off.

Six months off, as a matter of fact, which means the second choice for that MJF/Punk showdown is now off the cards too. In fact, it might now be a match fans never get to see. Punk's AEW future is yet to be confirmed, but it was reported this week that the expectation is the two-time AEW Champion will not be returning to the promotion.

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