8 AEW Teases Hidden In Plain Sight
5. MJF Was Setting The Groundwork
Just when we thought that MJF was going to oust Chris Jericho as the leader of the Inner Circle or that the faction were about to boot the underhand Friedman to the curb, AEW swerved us all by having Max bring his own new stable to the fore.
Pairing MJF with the FTR tandem of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler is a masterstroke. Having Tully Blanchard at FTR's side opens up things for Shawn Spears to join the fold, while Wardlow has long been under the employ of Max - et voila, AEW has a shiny new heel group ready to run roughshod.
Going back to May 2020, though, and the formation of this group was staring us in the face.
Back then, MJF could be seen having a tipple or two with Spears during an episode of AEW Dynamite. Again, Tully was at the side of the Chairman of AEW, with Wardlow ominously keeping a protective eye on his boss.
If anything, fans presumed that this was a tease of a new partner for Shawn Spears - this being the time when Tully was on the hunt for the 'perfect partner' for his charge - yet in hindsight, this looks like a masterstroke of planning for AEW's newest faction.