He’s finally free.

A program that technically started in June of 2023 looks officially over. The draw on Dynamite, the Blind Eliminator Tag Tournament that turned MJF babyface, the AEW Tag shot on Collision that popped ratings (and should have led to a tag title change but didn’t), the ROH Tag Title win, All In 2023 London, the Devil story beginning, Adam Cole breaking his ankle, MJF almost not making it to his match against Jay White and having an injured Adam Cole as replacement only to make it, MJF losing the ROH Tag Titles in a handicap match against mystery men (who were just The Kingdom), Samoa Joe beating MJF for the World Championship and the Devil revealing to be an injured Adam Cole turning heel, MJF returning to brainbuster Adam Cole as a babyface, Adam Cole returning as a babyface against MJF who already turned back heel in a tribute to HHH’s heel turn on Shawn Michaels in 2002, followed by a program where Adam Cole wrestled NXT guys to try to get a match against MJF but failed (Roderick Strong got it instead), followed by the Dynamite Diamond Ring Battle Royal that Adam Cole won, only to lose to MJF at World’s End.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been AEW Men’s World Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, AEW International/American Champion, twice re-gained his Dynamite Diamond Ring, turned heel to face and face to heel, had to overcome long term injuries (as had Cole), and even got to star in an Adam Sandler movie all in the time the feud has gone. Now, as we begin 2025, the program is over.

And MJF is moving to… Jeff Jarrett?

Not The Level of the Devil

I understand what the promo was doing. It was making it clear to us that MJF is done with Adam Cole. It was also making it clear that Jeff Jarrett, who had just stated he planned to become AEW Men’s World Champion before his career ends, isn’t a storyline with a short wick on the bomb. This is a one year plan, not anything that could interfere with current storyline.

I had thought Jarrett doing this, along with the recent involvement of the Rock and Roll Express, was AEW essentially trying to use veterans for the Death Riders to take out to eventually do the same to Adam Copeland. It seems like I was quite off.

The promo between MJF and Jeff Jarrett also established the fact that Maxwell Jacob Friedman, as talented as he is, as accomplished as he is, is a heel through and through. Even though it isn’t hard to just build a couple wins in AEW against anyone and eventually use that to proclaim yourself a number one contender (or in Hangman Adam Page’s case, lose two major matches to Jay White on PPV, only beat Wheeler Yuta, and that’s good enough to get in a four way for the AEW Men’s World Championship), MJF doesn’t want to do that. He doesn’t ever want to take the blue collar route. Instead, he offers to essentially guide Jeff Jarrett and stack the deck for him to win the AEW Men’s World Championship so he can beat him for it quickly after.

I respect MJF always promoting the fact he isn’t interested in taking the regular route to win. Like I said, it’s too blue collar for Max to just win matches on TV. He needs to scheme, he needs to strategize, and he is absolutely fine spending extra energy in finding a shortcut over just outracing everyone.

While I appreciate the notion, and I’m fine with an MJF promo against Jeff Jarrett in a vacuum, it unfortunately sends the wrong message. It’s the wrong message that AEW has been sending for a while now. It’s what I detailed in AEW’s Two Worlds on careless use of talent.

MJF shouldn’t care about Jeff Jarrett. Jeff Jarrett is an undercard guy winning matches on Zero Hour’s if he even gets booked. If MJF cares about “The Triple B” then he needs to focus on who he needs to beat to get it.

The Path to the Triple B

He needs to focus on those in his way, and I’ll get to it, he needs to focus on someone who may one day replace him.

MJF should be looking at the previous contenders for Jon Moxley’s AEW Men’s World Championship. Hangman Adam Page is a possibility, a program fresh that AEW has yet to ever do, and should have done back at Double or Nothing/All Out 2022 when Hangman was champion. Except it’s pretty clear AEW wants Hangman to stay a heel right now.

He could go after Jay White, who he beat at Full Gear 2023 and they both might want a re-do on that program, but the problem is that it’ll likely end up being like the Adam Cole program and just remind people of a time they don’t want back. Best to keep them separate.

Then there’s Orange Cassidy. The last time these two met in the ring was for the Dynamite Diamond Ring in 2020, a match MJF won due to a lot of interference. It’s a fresh feud, two AEW originals going toe to toe. Orange Cassidy has been focused on trying to stop the Death Riders, and has already said his goal isn’t to be champion but to stop Moxley from becoming champion. MJF getting in his way of that would create an interesting dilemma for OC. He wants the Death Riders to stop their crusade, but things don’t get better if “Dictator Jon” as MJF puts it gets replaced by King Maxwell.

I think a feud with Orange Cassidy would be a much better use of both men’s time. It’s also certainly better than MJF having to work in making an old man in the last year of his career look good. I’m sure MJF considers it an honour to work with Double J, and he certainly looked enthusiastic in the promo, but this feels like something that ends after a week or two instead of something you take to Revolution.

Another idea is for MJF to get involved with Christian Cage and his briefcase. I hate the Instashot, but I would much prefer it in MJF’s hands instead of Christian Cage’s. Not sure how you get into it, but I honestly wish they’d just end this Christian Cage heel character and get him back with Adam Copeland so both men stay out of the main event scene. An “Edge and Christian” tag team tour is far better for my palate than them arguing for a shot at the Men’s World Championship.

Darby Allin versus The Pinnacle

Now, we do still have to ask ourselves: should MJF be AEW Men’s World Champion in 2025? It’s a tough question. I don’t know if enough time has gone by since his last run and the taste it left in many people’s mouths. I also don’t know how in demand from Hollywood he’s soon going to be, since his program with Roderick Strong and Adam Cole at first was essentially just a bunch of pre-tapes. If MJF is spending too much time on set, it wouldn’t make sense for him to be at the top.

I do think, if the ultimate goal is for Darby Allin to become AEW Men’s World Champion in defeating Jon Moxley, and it’s not going to happen by Revolution but instead Y’All In Texas? Then the goal for MJF should be to keep him close to a number one contender position without him achieving it. I wouldn’t mind seeing him feud with Swerve Strickland after he’s done with Ricochet, and honestly him facing Adam Copeland after he loses to Jon Moxley isn’t a bad idea.

But the plan, if it’s planned for Darby to beat Moxley at Y’All In? It should be for MJF to be Darby Allin’s first big program after beating Jon Moxley. You can probably do a mini Death Rider program between All In and All Out, maybe having him face Moxley in a rematch or face Claudio to close the door on him. But WrestleDream? You would have time to build that up to be MJF versus Darby Allin, and AEW should make it an opportunity to do the program they should have done at Double or Nothing 2023.

While I’m sure MJF is adverse to ideas that have him getting pinned, I think there’s nothing better for MJF’s career than for him to put everything he can on the line against Darby Allin and lose to Darby hitting a Coffin Drop and a headlock takeover. Put Darby over clean and put him over big. That would help a lot of people consider MJF part of the solution in AEW instead of part of the problem, and ensure that once there’s talk of a new champion at the top? MJF will be in the mix.

It’s hard to say how to maximize MJF in 2025 without knowing how often he’s going to be available, who he wants to work, and how willing he is to lose. He lost to Ospreay in London, England but that was after he beat him. How willing is he to lose to Swerve Strickland? Orange Cassidy? Hangman Adam Page? We don’t know.

While it’s good for him to stay true to his character, I do think the current climate in AEW just isn’t going to have the appetite for too much old school heel shenanigans. I think with the return of Kenny Omega, there will be a lot of people demanding that if MJF wants to be at the top level? He needs to wrestle at a top level. And I have complete faith he can wrestle at that top level. He proved it in 2023 in his match with Kenny Omega. But it’s if MJF is willing to do it without being at the top of the card, or at the expense of himself and the benefit of others.

Creating a Better MJF

I’m someone who still thinks very highly of MJF. I’m always aware of his age and experience in the industry, and even if he’s accomplished so much so early, there’s still lessons he’s going to have to learn. He has a cadence that few wrestlers are born with let alone can learn, but the content often veers too far into work shooty low hanging fruit. His promo after beating Cole is what I want more of from him. I want that MJF.

I would love to someday talk to MJF and remind him that in the ring? His selling and body mannerisms are in a league of their own. His ability to make his opponents look great without sacrificing his integrity is some of the best in the world. That ability is something you can’t really show if you’re never working. I know the character is all about searching for the easy way out, but MJF would be better to prove to people two times a month in the middle of the ring that he’s better than you and he knows it, instead of just telling you.

Maybe MJF knows this and just doesn’t care, but trying to live in his own little bubble and create his own Codyverse does him or AEW no favours. It’s better if MJF is a part of the atmosphere, and while he takes up a lot of air? He also earned that air. He’s a diehard AEW Original, and he needs to be aware that to continue to be a part of the AEW world? You prove it in the ring.

It would also be good for him to start proving that before a man five inches taller than him and three years his junior pushes him aside and becomes what I wanted MJF to be. What AEW needs MJF to be. This young man is already becoming excellent on the microphone. He’s already becoming one of the best wrestlers in-ring. He’s getting wins against top competition because he’s always ready to wrestle. He’s basically the real life Mariah May to his Toni Storm and MJF just doesn’t know it yet.

In 2025 Maxwell Jacob Friedman needs to become the best version of himself that exists in the world of AEW before Kyle Fletcher replaces him.

Photos by All Elite Wrestling