AEW got tonight’s Dynamite started with the in-ring return of MJF, a match that would be his first in 6 months. MJF would be taking on his old rival Rush, and the two stars put on quite the show. MJF looked phenomenal in his big return, not showing much ring rust at all, and by the end of the match, he looked well in the swing of things. MJF would get the win, but he was soon faced with another challenge from The Elite. Brian Cage revealed that The Elite had chosen an opponent for MJF at Forbidden Door, and it would be CMLL star Hechicero.
Videos by ComicBook.com
MJF and Rush had a fantastic match to kick off Dynamite, though Rush definitely had the upper hand early on. Rush was in control of the bout for a while, slamming MJF into just about everything that surrounded the ring at one point, including a host of barricades. Then Rush distracted the referee with a chair so he could wrap a camera cord around MJF’s face and mouth.
MJF was able to avoid a knee strike from Rush that sent Rush into a chair, and that allowed MJF to get back into the match. Rush would still find ways to fight back, but MJF was able to put away the match with a heatseeker and then a brainbuster, earning himself his first win since returning to the ring.
That’s when Cage and the Gates of Agony appeared on the video screen and revealed they had been asked by The Elite to reveal MJF’s next challenger. Cage said The Elite wasn’t so thrilled with MJF’s comments last week, and that it would be Hechicero challenging him at AEW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
Part of why The Elite are upset can be traced to MJF’s return promo, which had him taking a shot at The Elite’s newest member Okada. MJF said, “I’m sitting at home and watching a bunch of children make a bunch of bold claims on my show. I got one guy walking around saying he’s the rainmaker. Make a lot of money there hey chief? It’s funny, every time I look at his physique I go the guy can’t even afford a gym membership.”
Now, MJF also took shots at plenty of other people, including Will Ospreay. MJF said, “That was not the most egregious claim, but it was from a cockney cockhead, walking around saying ‘oy, I’m the best in the world bruv’. It’s a great word. So, that’s really interesting Willie, because last time I checked, you ain’t Chris Jericho, you ain’t Jon Moxley, you ain’t Cody Rhodes, you ain’t Samoa Joe, you ain’t Bryan Danielson, you ain’t Kenny Omega, you ain’t Adam Cole, you ain’t Hiroshi Tanahashi. But you know who managed to beat every single one of the individuals on that list? It’s on the tip of my tongue. Oh that’s right, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. That’s right, MJF.”
What do you think about the match-up? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
