How AEW Are SECRETLY Telling A Genius Long-Term Story

How the Maximum Ride is being launched without you knowing...

MJF Chris Jericho
Lee South/AEW

On the November 13, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, MJF and Chris Jericho shared the same ring in a superb segment.

After the events of Full Gear, Jericho entered the ring to demand a 'Thank you' from literally everybody - except the jackasses in attendance, obviously - for elevating the profile of AEW as a legitimate mainstream company. He was swiftly interrupted by MJF, cosplaying as Cody to infuriate the crowd - a tactic, of course, Jericho has used historically to deceive his enemies into a beatdown. After explaining to the crowd that Cody was the villain of the story, and not himself, MJF turned his attention to Jericho. He claimed Jericho was an inspiration, putting his rival over well before they even became rivals, in a tremendous bit of forward-thinking old school business - MJF's essence as a performer, distilled.

MJF claimed Jericho is on his Mount Rushmore - "in the third or fourth instalment" - in a priceless bit of undermining before instigating a spot of verbal sparring in which the two men bantered about who wanted what more: did MJF want to join the Inner Circle, or did Chris Jericho want MJF to join the Inner Circle? Do you want me to join the Inner Circle? Do you want to join the Inner Circle?

The interaction was laced with tension and condescension. They referred to one another as Christopher and Maxwell, respectively. MJF, because he is so incapable of masking how awful he is, referred to the faction as the 'Inner Circle Jerk'. To prod MJF in response, Jericho claimed that "You might wanna be a little bit like Chris Jericho, is that right? Think about it. We're both from Long Island, both have three-letter nicknames, both love scarves, we're funny guys, crushingly handsome...it's almost like your parents got horny while they were watching me beat up Juventud Guerrera 25 years ago on WCW Saturday Night, and nine months later, your little twerp ass popped out!"

It was a fantastic line - "I have to laugh," Tony Schiavone said - and after it, the sparring continued. This time, Jericho, mirroring MJF just moments earlier, broke it off.

CONT'D...(1 of 5)

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!