9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (27 Oct)

5. MJF Is Still On Fire

MJF Renee Pacquette
AEW

The tease of a babyface MJF remains incredible, even if it's part of an elaborate ruse. He is a snake, after all, of which he constantly reminds the audience.

It was thought MJF could never turn face for two key reasons: he is too good in the heel role, generating an impossible, earnest strain of heat in the modern age, and he's a sociopath to his bones. The idea of him simply becoming good is not so much character development but a retcon impossible to take seriously.

His spin on it however is typical of his budding genius: he is the mate you have who will banter you off into oblivion, but is so funny that you never begrudge him for it. His promo was consistent with that; he had the audience laughing along with his insults.

It's his second megastar act at just 26 - if it's actually happening...

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!