Chris Jericho Retains the AEW World Championship at AEW Full Gear Thanks to MJF

Chris Jericho and MJF broke the hearts of thousands of All Elite Wrestling fans on Saturday night, as “Le Champion” retained the AEW World Championship by beating Cody Rhodes at the Full Gear pay-per-view. Because of the stipulation he added earlier this week, Rhodes can now no longer challenge for AEW’s top title for the rest of his career. Jericho picked up the victory by locking in the Liontamer on Rhodes and repeatedly stomping on his head. MJF, who was in Rhodes’ corner for the match, then threw in the towel to prompt the referee to call for the bell.

After the match was over Rhodes made his way to his feet as a remorseful MJF tried to explain himself. Rhodes seemed to forgive him, only for MJF to hit him with a low blow.

Midway through the match Rhodes attempted a dive onto Jericho on the entrance ramp, only for Jericho to move out of the way. Rhodes landed face-first as a result, busting himself open.

On Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite, Rhodes cut what many believe to be the best promo of his career while discussing his feud with Jericho.

“You dismissed every accomplishment I’ve made,” Rhodes said. “You’ve talked about my father. Well you call me an ‘entitled millennial’ I call you a carny succubus because the dirty secret about you, the dirty secret, is that you need this generation the more than it needs you and you surrounded yourself with impressionable youth.

“This isn’t about my dad,” he added. “This isn’t about the dead, it’s about the living. It’s about my mother, it’s about my sister, it’s about my wife, it’s about the 14 years it took me to go from undesirable to un-goddamn-deniable!”

Elsewhere at Full Gear, both Riho and SCU retained their respective world championships. Riho kept the AEW Women’s World Championship by beating her mentor Emi Sakura, while Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky retained in a triple threat involving The Lucha Brothers and Private Party. After the match Christopher Daniels returned under a Pentagon Jr. mask and attacked the two heel luchadores.

Rhodes announced during a Starrcast media conference call on Friday that a new championship might be on its way to the company before the end of the year.

“It’s very possible in the next month or so there will be a prize of some sorts for the guys rising through the ranks,” Rhodes said. “I would never consider it a midcard title.”