How long can a champion be a champion if they don't defend their championship?
This year has seen AEW plagued with several prominent injuries, including to two of the promotion's champions.
In June, then-AEW World Champion CM Punk announced his injury, and an Interim AEW World Championship was later won by Jon Moxley.
In September, then-AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa announced her injury, and the Interim AEW Women's World title was won by Toni Storm.
Time Limit
During last night's AEW Dynamite, it was announced that Thunder Rosa had agreed to relinquish her AEW Women's World Championship.
This makes Jamie Hayter (who dethroned Storm at Ful Gear) the Undisputed AEW Women's World Champion, despite Punk never vacating his title.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained the unofficial time frame to determine when a title will be vacated, or when an interim champion will be crowned.
I think that’s kind of unofficially the mentality that if it’s a few months we’ll do the interim title, if it’s like six months, it’s too long."
Dave Meltzer.
Storm's Official Reign
It was at All Out that Toni Storm captured the Interim AEW Women's World Champion, but the records have now been changed.
During Dynamite, it was confirmed by commentary that with Rosa vacating the title, that has retroactively altered Storm's reign.
Now, Toni Storm is recognized as an official AEW Women's World Champion and not an interim holder of the title.
With Storm's official reign beginning at All Out, it is unclear if the September event is recognized as when Rosa's reign ended, or if it officially ended this week.