This past Sunday at Full Gear, Jamie Hayter defeated Toni Storm to become the new AEW Interim Women’s Champion. The match was incredible and one of my personal favorites of the night. The New Jersey crowd was firmly behind Hayter, and the reaction for her win was outstanding. Twitter users say Jamie Hayter should be the undisputed AEW Women’s Champion and Tony Khan should remove the interim title.
Thunder Rosa is the AEW Women’s Champion after defeating Britt Baker in a steel cage on March 16. Thunder Rosa finally won the championship, and fans were thrilled. Rosa announced in August 24’s Dynamite that she was injured; she had a back injury before winning.
Tony Khan announced that Toni Storm, Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida will compete in a fatal fourway at All Out. Toni Storm won the match and said she would easily beat Thunder Rosa when she returned from injury.
Thunder Rosa’s return date is unknown, raising the question of whether she should have been stripped of the title. Tony Khan has used interim titles throughout AEW’s history and recently stripped CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks.
Because Thunder Rosa may never return, it’s questionable whether she should remain champion. Toni Storm and Jamie Hayter have carried the women’s division with Britt Baker, Saraya, and Athena.
After Toni and Jamie’s match at Full Gear, which was one of the night’s best, many believe that Jamie deserves to be the undisputed AEW women’s champion, especially since there is no date for when she can face Thunder Rosa for the “real” championship. Some fans feel that calling Hayter and Storm “interim” champions is disrespectful, even though the “real” champion is missing. Fans say Tony Khan should strip Thunder Rosa now rather than wait for her to recover from surgery.
Other fans argue Thunder Rosa should remain champion since she’s never lost. Tony Khan has allowed interim champions for other titles when wrestlers were injured, but these injuries were much less severe and shorter than Thunder Rosa’s. If Tony has done this for other wrestlers, it’s not fair to strip Thunder Rosa of a championship due to an injury; she should be treated the same as previous champions who kept their titles despite injuries.
Thunder Rosa should keep the title despite her injury, and there should be no interim champion. AEW still has the TBS Champion, so a Women’s Champion isn’t necessary. With their roster size, I would argue that an AEW Women’s Championship is still needed, or it limits the already limited women’s roster in stories, matches, and television time.
Tony Khan has said he’s considered stripping Thunder Rosa of her title and takes each situation “case by case.” He said it’s unfortunate she’s been out of action for so long. His words made it sound like he’s still debating whether to strip Thunder Rosa of the title if she doesn’t return soon.
What do you think? Should Thunder Rosa be stripped of the AEW Women’s Championship, and should Jamie Hayter be considered the undisputed AEW Women’s Champion? Should Thunder Rosa keep the championship and face the interim champion when she returns? Let us know in the comments or tweet us with your thoughts!