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]
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