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After his victory over Trent Beretta on Friday's AEW Rampage, Daniel Garcia boldly challenged MJF for the AEW World Championship, and the champion has now responded.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been a busy man, wrestling far more often than he would like to. He's put on several highly acclaimed bouts since winning the AEW World Championship last year but has become even more of a workhorse in the wake of his recent babyface turn.
After MJF's victory over Kenny Omega two weeks ago, several potential challengers were shown to be watching from the shadows, indicating that the target on Maxwell's back has become even bigger. This was exemplified when Daniel Garcia called out The Salt of the Earth on Friday.
The AEW World Champion accepted the challenge and sent out a warning on Twitter/X shortly after:
"Everyone wants a spot on the throne. Everyone’s gunning for the King. Time to take another name off the list," wrote MJF.
The two will square off next Wednesday on AEW Dynamite in Portland, OR.
Daniel Garcia isn't the only young star coming after MJF's title
While Wardlow, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Samoa Joe have made clear their intentions to wrest the AEW World Championship from MJF, another popular star has his own business to settle with the champion.
In a recent appearance on the Black Rasslin' podcast, AEW World Tag Team Champion Ricky Starks claimed that he's not content just being a tag team wrestler and that he plans to go for every singles title in the company:
"For sure. I’m still aiming for the AEW World Championship. I’m still aiming for the TNT Championship and the International Championship. I’m still aiming for these things. I’m not a tag team wrestler. I’m a tag team champion, but I’m not a tag team wrestler, and I want that to be clear. That’s the same thing with Bill. Bill isn’t a tag team wrestler. We are two singles guys that have come together under some weird circumstances, starting at All In, but we made it, and we’re doing the thing. So when it comes to goals, I hate even giving an answer now."
Starks and Friedman have faced each other in singles competition only once: at last year's AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming. The Salt of the Earth won that bout, but there's no telling how The Absolute One might turn the tables if the two meet again.
Who do you think will dethrone MJF for the AEW World Championship? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below!
