AEW Faces Backlash After Announcing New National Championship

John Powell

AEW Faces Backlash After Announcing New National Championship

AEW and its president, Tony Khan are being criticized for their decision to introduce another championship.

Last night on Dynamite, Khan announced the first AEW National Championship will be crowned in a Casino Gauntlet Match at AEW Full Gear on November 22nd, but the idea is that the championship would be defended all over the world.

Tony Schiavone went on to explain the history of the title saying: “In 1985 we merged Midnight Championship Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling and there was a US Championship and there was a National Championship and these two championships were put together at one match at the Omni back in 1986 and it became the US Championship. We haven’t had a National Champion in almost 40 years.”

Some are taking exception and criticizing the idea of a new “national championship”.

Mike Mondo, the current NWA National Heavyweight Champion, posted this reaction on X.

“Let me be CLEAR. There is only ONE NWA & there is only one PRESTIGIOUS National Championship that holds legit lineage & has for decades. So to Tony Khan or anyone else confused… here’s the legit title, with the company it belongs to & the legit National Champion! MY NAME IS MIKE…”

Mondo was Mikey of the Spirit Squad back in his WWE days.

Wresting legend and TNA Head of Talent Relations, Tommy Dreamer, also criticized the decision on Busted Open After Dark.

“At first also I thought the NWA had the national title. They do, but this is going to be AEW’s version of the national title and it’s, you know, on TBS,” he said.

“It’s the person that makes the title, not the title that makes the person. If this belt’s going to mean something they better get the right guy,” he continued.

Fans also had their say:

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