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MJF is finally the undisputed AEW World Champion. The 26-year-old is now the youngest world champion in AEW history, proving once again that he is a generational talent.
The Devil defeated Jon Moxley in the main event of Full Gear 2022 with the unlikely help of Blackpool Combat Club senior figure William Regal. With the victory, Maxwell Jacob Friedman now sits atop the AEW mountain as the biggest star the company currently possesses.
With his unbridled charisma and talent, he is now primed to lead the roster in a new era. But as the champion, he now has a huge target on his back. Who will be the next challenger to step up and try to take The Salt of the Earth's spot?
Here we look at five possible opponents that will compete for the AEW World Championship next.
#5. Ricky Starks is set to challenge MJF for the world title at AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming
MJF's first opponent for the AEW World Championship has now been revealed. On the November 23 episode of AEW Dynamite, Ricky Starks defeated Ethan Page in the finals of the World Title Eliminator Tournament and will now challenge The Salt of the Earth on the upcoming Dynamite: Winter Is Coming episode.
Ricky Starks has been one of the most underutilized wrestlers on the roster and he thoroughly deserves the spotlight. The former FTW Champion thrived in his role as a member of Team Taz. He is charismatic with brilliant promo skills and great athleticism.
Despite his obvious talent, he never had a sustained run in the main event scene. Now that he has broken away from former stablemate Will Hobbs, Stroke Daddy has the chance to finally fulfil his potential as a star of the future.
While it might be too early for Starks to take the title off MJF, it's definitely a step in the right direction for the 32-year-old to compete at the top of the card.
#4. Former ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will provide a stiff challenge for MJF
Claudio Castagnoli has been in AEW for nearly six months. During that time, he won the ROH Championship and established himself as an integral part of the Blackpool Combat Club.
Previously, the Swiss wrestler was part of WWE for nearly a decade as Cesaro but never had a chance to win a world championship. While he has rectified this somewhat by winning the ROH World Championship, winning the AEW World Championship would elevate Claudio's run in the company from good to excellent.
MJF has been feuding with every member of the Blackpool Combat Club, so it's only a matter of time before he comes into contact with the Swiss Superman. Castagnoli would definitely be a formidable threat to the new AEW World Champion, given his immense strength as well as experience.
Since MJF has already beaten fellow BCC members Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta, he might want to put another notch on his belt by defeating Claudio and completing the trifecta. This should ideally happen once the Swiss Superstar finishes up his rivalry with Chris Jericho, who is set to defend his ROH Championship at Final Battle.
#3. Darby Allin and MJF can recreate their Full Gear 2021 classic
Arguably one of the best matches of their careers for both Darby Allin and MJF was their match at AEW Full Gear 2021. The two wrestlers make up half of the four pillars of AEW and have been touted as future stars from the time they arrived in the company.
They have since gone on to achieve great things in Tony Khan's promotion, with Darby Allin winning the TNT Championship and now MJF becoming the World Champion.
However, it is arguable that Darby's momentum has stalled somewhat as he has been stuck in a mindless feud with Jay Lethal and Co. recently. It's about time he is given prominence back on AEW television.
Recent AEW signee Jeff Jarrett, who had his debut match opposite the daredevil wrestler, praised Darby Allin for his intensity while speaking on his podcast, My World with Jeff Jarrett.
“This past weekend was surreal. It was really, really surreal,” he said. "I was curious to see where the placement was gonna be with me and old Stinger and the tag. I’ll tell you one thing. Darby puts it in another gear from the time he comes through the curtain.” (H/T WrestleZone)
As a beloved fan favorite, Darby will be the perfect foil for MJF and have the fans easily root for him if he were to face up against his long-time rival once again. It's only a matter of time before Darby becomes champion and it would be such a sweet moment if he were to defeat Maxwell Jacob Friedman for that honor.
#2. Bryan Danielson would be the beloved babyface who perfectly contrasts MJF's heel character
Bryan Danielson was on an excellent run during the first few months of his AEW career. After debuting at All Out 2021, he fought Kenny Omega in a classic contest before taking then-AEW World Champion Hangman Page to the limit during their brief feud.
This year, the American Dragon formed the Blackpool Combat Club, competing in feuds against the Jericho Appreciation Society and others. But with William Regal seemingly defecting from the group, it might be time for Bryan to return as a solo star and get back in the hunt for the world title.
The former WWE Champion has expressed interest in working with Maxwell Jacob Friedman in the past. During an interview with FITE on Focus last year, Danielson said:
"As far as, goals like, 'I want to do this, I want to do that,' I don't have a lot of that. I would like to do...there are some people I would like to wrestle in AEW and obviously you want them to be incredible matches. I'd love to be able to go to New Japan and do the G1, but that's COVID-dependent. I don't hang anything on that. I would love to do something with MJF in AEW. If that doesn't materialize and it never happens, it doesn't matter as long as I enjoy the rest of the things," said Bryan Danielson. (H/T Fightful Select).
As one of the greatest technical wrestlers of this generation, Danielson would make a formidable opponent for MJF. If the AEW World Champion wants to truly prove his worth, there's no better challenger than Bryan to bring the best out of him.
#1. CM Punk and MJF can recreate their outstanding rivalry, this time over the AEW World Championship
Maxwell Jacob Friedman and CM Punk easily had the greatest rivalry in AEW history. The feud, which started last November and culminated in Revolution 2022, saw both wrestlers trade one victory apiece.
MJF first defeated the Straight Edge Superstar in front of his hometown of Chicago at the start of the year on an episode of Dynamite. Punk would then get his revenge, destroying the 26-year-old in a Dog Collar Match at Revolution.
The rivalry is begging for a tiebreaker, so what better way to pay off the feud than by having the two stars battle over the World Championship? This is, of course, contingent on Punk setting aside his issues with AEW and making a shocking return to the company.
It seemed like the original plan was for Punk to drop the world title to MJF as a way to put over the young star. After the infamous brawl that took place at AEW All Out, plans clearly changed and the company went with Jon Moxley instead as the one to give Friedman the championship rub.
Hopefully, the Second City Saint can return and do the honors for MJF and put him over clean to cement his world title reign.
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