3 Stars MJF could target upon his AEW return

MJF has been absent from AEW programming since his loss to Mark Briscoe at All Out: Toronto. The self-proclaimed generational talent is reportedly close to returning to All Elite Wrestling, having finished filming for the upcoming action-comedy Violent Night 2, in which he had been cast.

In the last promo he cut before his hiatus, Friedman talked about feeling like he had been playing some kind of approximation of himself, and he promised to return to the company as his most dangerous self. It is likely, therefore, that The Wolf of Wrestling will be looking to make a statement when he returns, possibly at the expense of another wrestler.

With this in mind, let us consider three stars MJF could go after to mark his AEW return.

#1. Former World Champion Hangman Page

Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Adam Page had their first proper singles feud in All Elite Wrestling at the start of this year, after multiple backstage encounters and exchanges set them on a collision course. The two stars squared off at Revolution 2025, with The Cowboy emerging victorious. While the latter continued to pursue the AEW Men’s World Title by winning the Owen Hart Cup, MJF secured a spot in The Hurt Syndicate.

At All In: Texas, Page dethroned Moxley as World Champion, and Friedman won a Casino Gauntlet bout, earning a future shot at the title. The New York native’s luck took a turn for the worse when he was not only kicked out of The Syndicate soon after, but also goaded by The Hangman into executing his contract for a World Title shot at Forbidden Door 2025. To regain his advantage, MJF and The Demand abducted Mark Briscoe and forced Page to agree to his revised terms for the pay-per-view. However, Friedman was still unable to unseat the champion.

Although Hangman is no longer the AEW Men’s World Champion, MJF likely still has a bone to pick with the popularly dubbed “Main Character” of the company. Friedman could thus return to the promotion’s programming by attacking Page, eager to jump back into the title picture by getting his wins back over the Virginia native.

#2. Former world champion Swerve Strickland

Back in 2023, heading into Worlds End, Samoa Joe extended his services to MJF as a bodyguard, offering to watch his back against “The Devil” and his masked goons on the way to the pay-per-view, where Friedman was set to defend his AEW World Championship against The Samoan Submission Machine. On the December 20 episode of Dynamite, just one week after the mystery assailants attacked Hangman Page backstage, The Salt of The Earth approached an unlikely suspect as being the individual under the Devil mask- Swerve Strickland.

Finding a mask outside The Moghul Embassy’s locker room, MJF called out and ambushed Prince Nana, prompting a confrontation with Swerve. Friedman recalled their history on the independents before accusing Strickland of being The Devil, and his stable of being the masked attackers in his employ, pointing to his ongoing blood feud with The Hangman. The Realest said he had nothing to do with the mysterious group and their hostilities, albeit warning MJF to disrespect and undermine him at his own peril.

Friedman and Strickland have not squared off one-on-one in AEW yet, and have stayed out of each other’s radars since then, mostly. However, a singles feud between them would undoubtedly be one of the company’s biggest programs right now. As such, MJF could return and go after Swerve, aiming to build himself up as a world championship contender by beating a former champion.

#3. Reigning AEW World Champion Samoa Joe

At Dynamite: Grand Slam 2023, MJF successfully defended his World Championship against Samoa Joe, barely surviving the bout after illegally choking out The Samoan Submission Specialist with his wrist tape. Later, the veteran offered Friedman his protection against The Devil and his crew, and even proposed to defend his ROH Tag Titles with him as a substitute for Adam Cole, in exchange for another World Title shot at AEW Worlds End.

After Joe helped MJF defend the Ring of Honor tag belts against The Gunns at Full Gear 2023, the latter reached an agreement with The Destroyer. This all turned out to be a ruse, however, as Joe betrayed Friedman ahead of the pay-per-view and then proceeded to end his reign as AEW World Champion by beating him at the event. Afterwards, The Devil and his stable were unmasked, revealing themselves to have been led by Adam Cole all along.

Close to two years later, Samoa Joe is once again the Men’s World Champion, having unseated Hangman Page for the belt at Full Gear 2025. MJF is no doubt itching to reclaim his prized “Triple B” from the man who took the belt from him, especially considering that he still holds his All In: Texas World Title contract, and will likely soon be defending his Dynamite Diamond Ring for a shot at the strap as well.

All these signs point to MJF returning to the company, with Joe in his crosshairs.