The WORST Wrestling Story Every Year (1989-2025)

2023 - The Devil

The Devil AEW
AEW

MJF and Adam Cole pretended to befriend one another in the summer of 2023.

The idea was for one man to turn on the other eventually, when they least expected it. This would surely motivate the betrayed man into a great and gutsy performance, but that’s wrestling logic for you.

But then they seemed to become actual friends, and MJF’s soul might have been worth saving after all. The story was meant to fully establish MJF as the top, sympathetic babyface, but fans had gravitated towards him precisely because he was so entertaining as a heel. He didn’t transform into a decent guy - he was still your scumbag - but MJF having feelings and such was a poor fit. Also, his in-ring work as a babyface was gimmicky and felt insincere. Better Than You Bay-Bay was a super charming and entertaining unit. Perhaps they should have stayed together.

All along, however, Cole had planned to betray MJF to punish his past behaviour. Oddly, teaching MJF a lesson was more important than winning the World title, a feat he could have achieved at Wembley Stadium by turning then and there. Instead, Cole set about concocting his masterplan. Which Vince Russo must have sub-edited.

    - Cole pretends to befriend MJF, having taken MJF’s treatment of other wrestlers personally for some reason

    - Cole pretends to be annoyed by Roderick Strong, who becomes an obnoxious caricature to sell the angle, in order to throw MJF off the scent

    - Cole and his secret Undisputed Kingdom faction start to torment MJF, when they can be bothered

    - In the meantime, not knowing MJF would actually make it to the arena, Cole volunteers to step in for MJF at Full Gear, even though he is more injured than the person he is only pretending to be friends with, and if he works the match, his career is over

    - Cole continues to pretend that Strong is irritating him, and they can’t possibly be in cahoots, in a slow-mo skit during which Strong accuses Cole of making his coffee too hot

    - Cole is meant to be Satan in all of this

    - Cole reveals himself to be the Devil at Worlds End

    - The worst angle of the year can’t actually go anywhere, since both Cole and MJF are injured

    - When Cole does return, as the Devil, he is a babyface, since AEW has accepted the MJF turn didn’t work and he’s now a heel

This was almost as bad as Brawl Out.

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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!