10 Awesome Times Wrestlers Learned From Their Mistakes

4. MJF Forms A New Stable

When a top star loses a major match, the temptation is to reheat them and position them against a lower-level act, the effect of which almost washes away the gravity of the loss.

That's not a criticism - it's wrestling, this happens frequently and with good reason - but MJF's arc following All Out 2020 was far more deft than that. He sold the gravity of the loss and used it to drive his next bid towards a World Title picture that wasn't undermined by dulled repetition. He explained in the aftermath of the show that he made a mistake relying solely on Wardlow - deepening the stakes of their eventual split - and set about mimicking the last heel to capture the belt: Chris Jericho. This was a great direction because it conveyed that everything matters and everything moves forward on the relentless platform that is episodic wrestling TV.

Just as Jericho created a stable that allowed him to hold onto the title, MJF teased the audience with a joy of a multi-stranded mystery.

Did he want to overtake the Inner Circle? Did he want to splinter it, as teased with his use of the word 'Wolfpac'? Where did the summer-long hints of a Four Horsemen reboot figure into plans, if anywhere?

Every week, mastering the platform, MJF dropped a hook.