How MJF Succeeded Where Roman Reigns Failed

MJF AEW World Champion
AEW

The Codyverse saga was fascinating and admirably committed, but it wasn't aligned with what the fans wanted. They were too bemused to begin to grasp what he was going for, and while that energy was missed when Cody jumped to WWE, it was the best move. He didn't want to turn, and he knew turning was not possible.

Except, in a huge and near-unprecedented development that should not go understated, MJF made it possible.

On the November 30 Dynamite, MJF, making his first appearance as AEW World champion, cut an overlong, methodical promo before unveiling the twist: he was cutting a 2003 Triple H special, deliberately, to get his 'Reign of Terror' bit over. The fans were getting so high on his giddy brand of charisma that it didn't matter that he was calling them worse than sh*t. Sensing this, he dwelled on every slow, low word. And then, the twist: he's never turning because we're all fickle and will just get bored of his act eventually. This was beyond prescient, because fans and analysts hated the promo and the fact that the outgoing William Regal was so integral to his title win. It didn't - by ingenious design - take one single promo before the naysayers questioned MJF's credentials as World champion. MJF knew what he was doing, and what he was doing may never have been done.

He can't do this every week - is there anything worse than a wrestler doing intentionally dull work to get "heat"? - and he won't. His first defence against Ricky Starks - some iffy execution notwithstanding - was creatively laid out to near-perfection.

CONT'D...(4 of 6)

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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!