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After weeks of attempting to get into The Hurt Syndicate, AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman's efforts finally paid off on Dynamite: Beach Break. The Salt of the Earth finally earned that elusive thumbs up from Bobby Lashley, whom he has been after in the NOW Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Next week on AEW Dynamite, a contract will be signed to make MJF's entry into The Syndicate official. Let us explore three possible paths this segment might take this coming Wednesday.
#1: MJF could join The Hurt Syndicate; first-time team-up
MJF has been trying to secure a spot in The Hurt Syndicate since MVP advised him to consider his offer following Revolution 2025. Friedman did not take long to accept Porter's proposition, and the latter readily gave him his approval. Shelton Benjamin was initially less inclined, but the self-proclaimed generational talent's "gifts" eventually wore him down.
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On the other hand, Bobby Lashley remained firmly opposed to MJF joining The Syndicate, despite accepting (and in one case misappropriating) the latter's offerings. However, Friedman seemingly impressed the former WWE Champion by heeding his word and badly hurting Dante and Darius Martin while the latter were challenging the tag team champions.
This week, Lashley finally gave MJF his vote of admission, seemingly making him a part of The Hurt Syndicate. Next Wednesday, the former AEW World Champion could simply sign the contract to officially join the faction. The promotion could also set up his first team-up with Benjamin and Lashley for the following week, with the new trio making an example out of their opponents to establish their teamwork.
#2: Cedric Alexander might debut in AEW and blindside MJF
Years prior, when Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP were still signed with WWE, they found a new stablemate in Cedric Alexander, who joined The Hurt Business in 2020. He regularly teamed with The Gold Standard and even held the RAW Tag Team Titles with the latter on one occasion. Unfortunately, the faction's booking in the sports entertainment juggernaut left much to be desired, and it was all but dissolved after the promotion released Shelton in 2023.
Porter, Benjamin, and Lashley signed on with AEW last year, reforming The Hurt Business and renaming it The Hurt Syndicate. In a recent interview, MVP and Bobby Lashley indicated they are open to a reunion with Cedric Alexander. Interestingly, after The Hurt Syndicate seemingly brought in MJF as a member this week, the 35-year-old (who made his WWE exit some time earlier) shared a cryptic message on social media.
During next week's contract signing, Friedman could therefore be ambushed by Alexander, who could ink his name on the paper instead to rejoin his old allies. This, in turn, could lead to a singles match between Cedric and MJF at Double or Nothing 2025 over their desired spot in the dominant faction.
#3: MJF reforms The Pinnacle and betrays The Hurt Syndicate
When he was briefly a member of The Inner Circle, MJF launched a secret plan to take over the Chris Jericho-led group by sowing dissension in its ranks. The real plan, he later revealed, was to form a unit to take out The Inner Circle - bringing together Wardlow, FTR, Tully Blanchard, and Shawn Spears.
Unfortunately, The Pinnacle, as Friedman's group was called, did not last very long. The stable more or less began to fall apart after Wardlow turned on Friedman at AEW Revolution 2022. Its members did occasionally team up later, barring Friedman, but the faction has not been active for quite some time now.
Recent AEW programming has seemingly teased the return of The Pinnacle, especially after FTR's shocking heel turn at Dynasty 2025. The promotion could pull off a huge twist next week by having MJF actually turn on The Hurt Syndicate instead of joining them, alongside Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler.
The Top Guys have talked about wanting to win back the World Tag Team Titles, and they could begin their campaign by reforming The Pinnacle with Friedman and ambushing Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley, and MVP.
