The March 25 episode of “AEW Dynamite” saw the first televised appearance of MJF since he defeated Hangman Page at AEW Revolution in a brutal Texas Death Match. He cut a great promo via a pre-tape last week, and now that he’s got his match set in stone for AEW Dynasty on April 12 against Kenny Omega, you would think he’d have some things to say wouldn’t you?
What did MJF say exactly? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Well, he did technically say some things, but there was literally nothing of substance whatsoever. MJF comes out, mocks the people of Minnesota for having an accent that isn’t his, reminds people that he beat Page, says the word “ever” so many times it stops sounding like a real word, and proceeds to do both of his catchphrases. That’s it, that’s the whole promo. I understand Maxwell Jacob Friedman is a heel and he’s meant to love himself and cheap heat, but you’ve got a title match in three weeks and you’re not even trying to sell the match.
In fact, it’s not until Kenny Omega, a man who looked absolutely exhausted given that he wrestled in the opening match, came out that we got an actual promo. He claimed that when Swerve Strickland beat him, he learned something from it and applied it to the match he had earlier that night where he was able to get his win back, implying that Omega has learned a lot since MJF beat a pre-diverticulitis version of “The Cleaner,” and that a rematch will be very different from their first bout.
Right there, Omega sells the match, making you ask yourself “Is he better than he was in 2023? If so, what could possibly happen at Dynasty? Who would be next in line? Who is going to Wembley?” You already want to see this match, not because of MJF loving himself, but because Omega is ready to go to war for the AEW World Championship, and the champion showed little to no real care whatsoever.
There will be a contract signing next week in Omega’s hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and I have a suspicion that segment will end up being much better for MJF than this one was. Sure, he’ll poke fun at the Canadian fans, probably make a hockey reference, but he’ll get the chance to converse with Omega and cut an actual promo, rather than just pressing buttons on an MJF soundboard and calling that a promo. For a man known to be an absolute maestro on the microphone, this was a big let down on a night full of less than average promos. At least the match at Dynasty will be good.
Written by Sam Palmer