AEW fans, brace yourselves! The Salt of the Earth, MJF, now call himself as The Wolf Of Wrestling, has made a jaw-dropping return, and the wrestling world is buzzing. Let's look in to the future of Maxwell Jacob Friedman and how AEW can capitalize on his comeback to elevate the brand and storytelling to unprecedented heights.
You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#mjf #tonykhan #aew #allelitewrestling #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling
You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#mjf #tonykhan #aew #allelitewrestling #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 "You may claim to be the best in the world, but I'm better than you, and you know it."
00:14 Maxwell Jacob Friedman just made his AEW return at Double or Nothing by interrupting his former
00:20 best friend Adam Cole.
00:22 He then delivered a low blow and a brainbuster on Cole, kicking him out of the ring.
00:26 He proceeded to cut a passionate promo talking about his contract situation and revealed
00:31 that he would remain with All Elite Wrestling.
00:34 Fightful Select has claimed that MJF is on a multi-million dollar long-term deal with
00:39 the company.
00:40 AEW is currently facing some challenges as ratings continue to decline.
00:45 In a period where the company desperately needs a resurgence, the return of MJF is exactly
00:51 what it needs.
00:52 In 2022, MJF finally fulfilled his destiny and became the AEW World Champion.
00:59 It was a tremendous moment, not just for MJF, but for AEW too.
01:03 It showed that the future had finally arrived.
01:06 During MJF's historic title reign, he was able to successfully retain his championship
01:11 against the likes of Jay White, Samoa Joe, Daniel Garcia, Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Ethan
01:18 Page, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Darby Allin, Jack Perry, Sammy Guevara, Bryan Danielson and
01:26 Ricky Starks.
01:27 In addition, MJF was often seen pulling double duty on more than one occasion when he would
01:32 have to defend the Ring of Honor World Tag Team titles both with and without Adam Cole.
01:38 It was a tremendous reign for MJF and easily his best year in professional wrestling thus
01:43 far.
01:44 His title reign also saw him transition from a heel to a face.
01:48 He went on to hold the AEW World Championship for 406 days before losing it to Samoa Joe
01:54 at World's End 2023.
01:57 He also got betrayed by Adam Cole that very same day who revealed himself as the devil
02:02 and turned on his best friend.
02:04 He then decided to take some time off following this due to a shoulder injury.
02:09 Since then, fans have been desperately waiting for his return and after 5 long months, at
02:14 double or nothing, MJF finally came back to AEW.
02:18 However, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff believes that MJF returning to AEW will not benefit
02:25 the company that much.
02:26 On his Wise Choices podcast, Bischoff said quote "I don't think MJF is going to take
02:32 AEW to a whole new level because it's not a talent-driven issue, it's a creative-driven
02:37 issue.
02:38 I think you could drop the Undertaker into the center of the ring from a helicopter,
02:42 have him rappelled down like Sting did, put him in the center of the ring and start a
02:46 program with him and AEW and if Tony Khan is booking it, it's just not going to matter."
02:52 End quote.
02:53 And he's not entirely wrong.
02:55 AEW has recently signed names like Okada, Will Ospreay and Mercedes Monae and despite
03:01 these stars having been booked in prominent roles, the company has failed to gain any
03:06 momentum.
03:07 Also, look at Swerve Strickland.
03:09 He was red hot a few months ago.
03:12 Everyone wanted him to become the AEW World Champ, which he did.
03:16 He went on to dethrone Samoa Joe to win the AEW Championship, but some fans believe that
03:21 since then, AEW has failed to treat him as a World Champion.
03:26 This isn't to say that he's not relevant now, he certainly is.
03:30 But ask yourself, is he as popular today as he was during Revolution or Dynasty?
03:35 A similar situation could arise with MJF if AEW doesn't treat him as the draw that he
03:41 is.
03:42 To be fair, Max is a made man in AEW.
03:46 He has been in the company since day one and has a loyal fan following.
03:50 AEW has done a terrific job over the years of keeping him relevant through engaging storylines
03:55 and prominently featuring him in programming.
03:58 But all you need is one wrong move to screw everything up.
04:01 AEW needs to carefully put him in situations where he can shine.
04:06 So how could he start his new journey?
04:08 Well, settling his score with Adam Cole would be the most logical route to take and this
04:13 could feel like a big deal.
04:15 MJF and Adam Cole's storyline back in 2023 was the best thing in AEW, so they should
04:21 give this a proper conclusion.
04:23 Considering the fact that Max and Cole fought in the main event of All In 2023, All In 2024
04:30 is the best place to end this rivalry.
04:33 But what comes next?
04:34 Well, with the Elite's hostile takeover of AEW, getting a babyface MJF involved with
04:40 the angle would make matters a whole lot more interesting.
04:44 He can become Tony Khan's main guy to take out the Elite before Kenny Omega returns.
04:49 Now we all know that MJF has called Tony a mark on many occasions, but on his return
04:54 to Double or Nothing he made it clear that AEW is his home, so it would be pretty cool
04:59 to see him fighting for the honor of All Elite Wrestling.
05:03 Also getting him involved in the AEW World title picture against Swerve, Strickland or
05:08 whoever the champion will be is something to think about.
05:11 MJF's quest for gold will introduce new rivalries and matchups.
05:16 His involvement in title scenes will also add a layer of unpredictability and excitement.
05:20 Although he had a long title reign, his run didn't conclude the way it should have,
05:25 it ended abruptly as he needed to take some time off due to the injury.
05:29 This time around, he can have the proper climax to his championship reign.
05:34 He should also work with Wardlow.
05:36 In 2022 Wardlow squashed MJF and quickly became one of the hottest stars in AEW.
05:42 However the company missed the opportunity to elevate him to the main event status.
05:47 Now that MJF is back, they have a chance to correct that.
05:51 While AEW often features smaller wrestlers like Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin in prominent
05:55 roles, there's a need for more big guys in the main event scene and Wardlow is the
06:00 best person to be that guy.
06:02 He's criminally underused.
06:04 He's been floundering in the mid-card for way too long now and deserves to be utilized
06:09 every week.
06:10 Some might argue that he's been buried and damaged beyond repair since losing his world
06:14 championship opportunity against Samoa Joe.
06:17 However he deserves one more chance to rise to the top and there's no one better to
06:22 help him with that than MJF.
06:25 Their incredible chemistry and shared history make them perfect for a well-booked feud.
06:30 Wardlow was at his best when facing MJF, so why not revisit that dynamic?
06:35 That being said, what role should MJF take on?
06:38 He's one of the most popular figures in AEW right now and fans genuinely want to see
06:43 him as a face.
06:45 He should stay a fan favorite for now, perhaps for the rest of 2024 as there are numerous
06:50 storyline opportunities with him in this role.
06:53 However, it's clear that MJF excels as a heel, so eventually he should go back to being
07:00 the scumbag that he was.
07:01 He's not a bad face, he's just a better heel.
07:05 This isn't meant to be a comparison, but think about Ric Flair.
07:10 How do you remember him?
07:11 As the dirtiest player in the game, right?
07:14 Well Max is just like that.
07:17 He is the devil.
07:19 One thing that some fans didn't like about his booking was that he barely wrestled.
07:24 The chances of seeing him wrestle on TV were often quite slim.
07:27 He often addressed this by bragging that he didn't need to wrestle every week because
07:31 he was "better than you and you knew it".
07:34 However, once MJF turned face, he started appearing in the ring much more regularly
07:39 engaging in battles with other heels.
07:42 This change was certainly appreciated by fans, but it wasn't necessary.
07:47 Ric Flair is much more mystique to him when he doesn't wrestle every week and fans anticipate
07:51 for him to wrestle.
07:53 AEW will likely take a similar approach and book MJF for a limited number of TV matches
07:58 after his return, especially considering he's just recovered from an injury.
08:02 The last thing we need is for him to be sidelined again for an extended period of time, but
08:07 that doesn't mean he can't be on TV every week.
08:10 He excels on the mic and Tony Khan should prioritize getting him on TV.
08:15 MJF expertly blurs the line between kayfabe and reality, leaving fans guessing whether
08:20 he's being serious or staying in character.
08:23 This is the MJF we need to see.
08:26 His presence would keep fans on the edge of their seats and could significantly boost
08:30 ticket sales and viewership.
08:31 It's safe to say that he's the biggest star in AEW and the company should treat him
08:37 as such.
08:37 the show.
08:37 the show.
08:37 the show.
08:38 the show.
08:38 the show.
08:38 the show.
08:39 the show.
08:40 the show.
08:40 the show.
08:41 the show.
08:41 the show.
08:42 the show.
08:42 the show.
08:43 the show.
08:44 the show.
08:44 the show.
08:45 the show.
08:45 the show.
08:46 the show.
08:46 the show.
08:47 the show.
08:47 the show.
08:54 (upbeat music)
08:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]