Before the Sept. 7 Dynamite started, we were reminded how Maxwell Jacob Friedman returned to AEW on Sunday night at All Out (in a video that conveniently didn’t show the man he challenged at the end of the PPV.
After Tony Khan told us the company’s plan for its World and Trios titles, MJF came out to a big ovation. He was wearing the jersey of hometown here, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and that was just the beginning of Friedman’s pandering.
.@The_MJF is BACK, and he has a few words to say. #AEWDynamite is LIVE on @TBSNetwork! pic.twitter.com/8EFQEdiboi
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 8, 2022
The only sign of the old Max was his reason for not being upset about being in the World title tournament. He’s all about working smart, not hard — so he’ll hang back and use his Casino Ladder Match chip to get a shot after the men in the field wear each other out.
Still, it all seemed like too much. That’s because it was. All it took was for Jon Moxley to enter and call him on his crap, and MJF went right back to the crowd-insulting jerk we love to hate. He admitted his previous remarks were all lies. He still hates the fans, hates AEW, and only wants the title as a bargaining chip so he can get more money from WWE. He namedropped Cody Rhodes, Nick Khan, and quoted his favorite wrestler Triple H, saying the title would be “best for business.”
"Maybe I'll take that title to a REAL wrestling company." @The_MJF starting to show his true colors again and @JonMoxley is not impressed. It’s #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/kAflSk7Pux
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 8, 2022
Mox wanted to fight right here, right now. And MJF stripped down to his slacks as if he wanted to, too. Then he bailed, just like old times.
That cleared the ring for Moxley to deliver an emotional promo. Like TK, he didn’t mention the events from after All Out on Sunday night/Monday morning, but we knew what he meant when he said he was embarrassed. The rest of his speech put over the importance of the title, his allies & rivals on the AEW roster, and the importance of this moment for the company.
Greats want the ball with the game on the line, and that’s why Moxley wants to World championship at this moment in AEW history.
"This is time to be a legend." @JonMoxley with powerful words here on #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/jItAKZulgK
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 8, 2022
AEW and its fans needed something like this. The next few weeks will be challenging, but Mox made a hell of a case he’s the guy who should lead them through it.
And MJF is still the villain he — or whoever wins the World title at Grand Slam — will face down the road.
Get complete results and coverage of everything from tonight’s Dynamite here.
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