MJF Talks Rise From AEW Crowd Member To World Champion

Throughout the year, AEW World Champion MJF established himself as a top player in the promotion, creating buzzworthy stories that brought in viewers and memorable matches to add to his growing legacy. Many predicted that such a naturally gifted star would reach the pinnacle of AEW but it came with tireless work and, at times, questionable booking. In February 2020, MJF rid himself of his on-screen mentors Cody Rhodes and The Nightmare Family by defeating "The American Nightmare" in a one-on-one match at Revolution 2020. This was the biggest win in MJF's career at that time, but the momentum simmered down a bit because he didn't get much attention on-screen in the months that followed.

"People might not remember this, but after my feud with Cody Rhodes [in 2020], I was sat," Friedman told Sports Illustrated. "I was sat out. Literally, I had to sit behind the guardrail. I sat beside Shawn Spears and Shawn Dean and Sonny Kiss and all these other people, and I had to sit there and watch the shows. I remember thinking to myself, 'Are you guys f*****g stupid? I'm literally the biggest star here. What's happening here?'"

MJF didn't compete at all between March 11, 2020 and May 13, 2020, returning that Summer to feud with Jungle Boy and his former allies, Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt. A lot has changed for everyone involved in that rivalry, perhaps most of all for MJF. "No one is on my level," says Friedman. "I can give a f— if people are bothered by that. I'm elevating this wrestling promotion." We will see what the future holds for Friedman as hungry stars like Ricky Starks, his former bodyguard Wardlow, and three-time AEW Champion Jon Moxley set their sights on wearing gold once more.