Highlights
- MJF's title reign as AEW Champion has been negatively impacted by the overall decline in creative quality in 2023, making it difficult for him to support the whole company creatively.
- The mixed bag of challengers and lackluster feuds has made some of MJF's matches as champion feel like he is just treading water, detracting from the potential of his title reign.
- The focus on MJF's friendship with Adam Cole has made his reign feel lightweight and lessened the importance of the top prize, while also presenting challenges in terms of his character development and turning babyface.
MJF is one of AEW’s biggest success stories as a homegrown talent that has ascended up the ranks to become the world champion. His feuds with industry greats such as Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho, and CM Punk sent Maxwell Jacob Friedman on the road to stardom, and now he is one of the best performers in the business.
His AEW run has been nothing short of legendary as he has become one of the most must-see wrestlers consistently over the past few years. It was obvious that MJF should have won the world title when he challenged Jon Moxley for the belt at Full Gear last year, so it is good that he did.
RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Didn't Know MJF Had Matches WithSince then, ‘The Devil’ has proved why he has been given the accolade by continuing to be one of the most entertaining people in all of wrestling over the past year. He has had numerous great matches and memorable feuds which would make for a successful title reign under any normal circumstances. This is why it is quite strange to acknowledge that MJF’s title reign hasn’t quite lived up to its potential, despite how great it has been at points. A number of factors have converged to detract from his first reign as AEW Champion, which is quite a shame but not totally unfixable.
AEW Has Declined Creatively In 2023
In many ways, MJF’s lackluster reign with the AEW Championship can be attributed to the overall product not being good enough in 2023. As the champion, it is difficult to support a whole company from a creative standpoint, which is what MJF has had to do more than once this year.
The main event picture has struggled amidst the controversy surrounding CM Punk and the slightly diminished star power of big names like Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and ‘Hangman’ Page. Furthermore, Maxwell has had to prop up a substantial title reign with a mixed bag of challengers to his ‘Triple-B.’
RELATED: WWE is Showing That AEW Dropped The Ball With Jade CargillFor every Bryan Danielson or Kenny Omega match, MJF has had one with someone like Jungle Boy, which is fine because not every match can be an all-star battle. However, a lot of his matches as champion have just felt like he is treading water which has been the case with his recent feuds against Samoa Joe and Jay White.
Even when there are stars worthy of challenging for the belt, AEW’s recent booking has made it hard to get excited about feuds in the same way fans used to be able to. The general malaise around AEW is not necessarily MJF’s fault, but his title reign has suffered because of it.
The Adam Cole FriendshIp Dilemma
Whilst Better Than You Baybay could arguably end up being the best part of MJF’s title reign, it does offer up its own problems. Fans have enjoyed watching Max and Adam Cole develop their friendship, turning ‘The Devil’ face for the first time in his career. Their matches together and against each other have always been the hottest on any card, as complicated friendships appear to be the new thing in wrestling.
RELATED: MJF's Feud & Partnership With Adam Cole Is The Best Storyline Of His AEW World Championship RunWhilst it has been cute and even heartwarming at times, the focus on his bond with Cole has made a lot of his reign feel lightweight. MJF could have been tagging with his friend before or after he won the title, as doing it whilst he is AEW Champion has unfortunately lessened the importance of the top prize. Having MJF turn babyface during his long reign as champion offers up its own problems too, even if it did feel like quite a natural thing to do alongside the Better Than You Baybay tandem.
MJF’s Long Term Plan In AEW Has Been Ignored
Whatever fans may think about MJF’s title reign throughout 2023, it can’t be denied that AEW put immense thought into progressing him as a character over the years. He entered the company in 2019 as a hot prospect and succeeded in every way to be worthy of holding the world title, which is why it is a shame that much of his development has been ignored recently.
Of course, wrestling is a very flexible industry and changing plans organically can be beneficial to storytelling. What has made AEW so great though is making sure that it is well plotted so that when things are delivered upon it is immensely satisfying for fans watching every week.
RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Fans Love MJF (& 4 Reasons Why Fans Dislike Him)Much of this thought and planning has been abandoned by AEW this year, which in fairness has been caused by injuries, travel issues, and real-world drama in some cases. Still, it has undoubtedly changed the course of MJF’s first major title reign, as he was meant to be the most detestable, Triple H-esque heel in the business.
‘The Bidding War of 2024’ has all but been abandoned as MJF continues his reign, which is a huge shame as it was the biggest hook going into his run as champion. AEW might pick it back up should Max’s good guy routine turn out to be a ruse, but it genuinely seems like the company has changed course and wants him to be a face now. However AEW does it, they need to make sure that ‘The Devil’ has a worthy ending to his first world title reign, which has shown he is one of the best in the industry whilst simultaneously being disappointing.
