MJF is back in AEW with a new look, an old attitude, and a big promise

Rumors were flying all day about possible surprise returns or debuts during AEW’s Double or Nothing tonight (May 26) in Las Vegas. One of those, from X/Twitter scoopster WrestleVotes, said we wouldn’t want to miss the start of the show as “big happenings” were expected early.

The opening contest of the PPV between Will Ospreay and Roderick Strong wasn’t uneventful (read about what happened here), but it wasn’t what Votes was smartening us up about. That came immediately after, when Adam Cole walked to the ring. Cole’s comeback is supposedly still a ways off, but he walked down to the ring to talk some trash about the fans in Sin City.

Cole’s promo built to talk of “The Devil”, the angle that saw him turn on his best brochacho Maxwell Jacob Friedman and cost MJF his AEW World championship. We haven’t seen Friedman since, as he was off recuperating from the litany of injuries he was working through at the end of his title run. But another rumor from this afternoon said MJF was spotted flying into Phoenix, a relatively short drive from Vegas… so the crowd was ready when Max’s music hit.

First we got a video of MJF’s usual Burberry scarf-accented wardrode on a mannequin. A figure pulled up a ripped up picture of MJF and Cole from their time as friends and tag partners last year. The Salt of the Earth hit the stage a second later, but he wasn’t wearing his usual outfit, though. Instead, he had a denim vest over a leather jacket.

MJF accepted a hug from Cole, but quickly low-blowed him and called for security to remove the “noodle-armed, bobble-headed son of a bitch” from his ring. Friedman said he would never trust again after being betrayed by Cole, and would only be fueled by “hate, hate, hate” from now on.

He also addressed his contract situation. MJF had been teasing “the bidding war of 2024” for years before he left, but said tonight that unlike so many people in the AEW locker room, he doesn’t need “a New Japan or a Vince McMahon” to make him a star. “MJF made MJF” and he’s betting on himself going forward, too. Max didn’t confirm that he’d signed a new deal with Tony Khan. Instead, he had a cameraperson zoom in on his new calf tattoo, which reads “Bet on yourself” around a poke chip with the AEW logo on it.

The 28 year old then channeled Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, calling himself “The Wolf of Wrestling” and declaring that he’s not going anywhere.

A lot has happened since we last saw MJF at World’s End last December. Where does he fit into the current landscape?

We’re about to find out. Let us know what you think, and get complete Double or Nothing results and coverage of the entire show here.