Someone is attacking everyone’s favorite scumbag, MJF. Last month, The Devil ambushed the challenger for the AEW World Heavyweight title, Jay White; Naturally, the suspicion surrounded the world champ himself, who made his shocking return to AEW at All Out 2022 under the same devil mask.

However, those suspicions turned out to be false. The clock is ticking down on the man behind the mask, and these are the five men who could easily turn out to be the devil. Some are obvious red herrings and others are left-field picks that still make sense. 

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Roderick Strong

This pick is one of the more obvious ones. The Roderick Strong/Adam Cole story has to have a conclusion, and it would ultimately make sense if Strong was the culprit behind the recent string of attacks. The addition of The Kingdom can explain the men who attacked The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass this past week on Dynamite, though the third man is an intriguing mystery.

It could end up being Adam Cole. Though Cole taking a backseat to his saga with MJF would be weird. Since Tony Khan owns ROH, he can easily pluck one of those names to be the third man in Strong’s faction. Or it could be someone who has had issues with the AEW World Heavyweight Champion in the past. Strong could be a red herring, but he’s the most likely candidate to be The Devil.

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Jack Perry

The whereabouts of Jack Perry have been very hush since the storyline started. The reason that he’s been missing from television is widely known at this point, but there were rumors that Khan has lifted the FTW Champion’s suspension. Perry has a detailed history with MJF as he’s faced the champion on multiple occasions throughout his young career. 

This could be a huge mark for his return. Tony Khan sees Perry as a main event star. Though it was a mistake for him to lose his feud against Hook so soon, it does feel that the change in character was made to elevate him above the mid-card. The men following him remain unknown, though it could be an interesting case of Perry reuniting with Christian Cage. Booking wise it would be a mistake since Christian would outshine Perry with ease if they ended up back in a faction. Plus, it still feels too soon for these characters to reunite after their intense rivalry in 2022, but there’s no ruling out any possibilities there.

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Adam Cole

Another obvious red herring. Someone was always going to turn between Adam Cole and MJF. At first, it might’ve been MJF, but the AEW World Heavyweight Champion is so over with the crowd that Tony Khan might’ve changed his mind about turning MJF back into a heel.

The reason Cole and Roderick Strong are separate is because Cole feels like a leader and the story did start with him and MJF over the AEW World title. Cole could have his former Undisputed Era buddy by his side along with The Kingdom. The injury may hold back the reveal for some time now, but there had to be an end goal in mind when it comes to the MJF/Adam Cole saga. There’s no telling if Cole was next in line to become the AEW World Champion, but his story seemed destined to end before his big injury. 

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Christian Cage

Christian Cage is the perfect douche heel for MJF to face. He’s the slimy and sneaky type of heel, so ambushing people from behind fits right at home for him. Though Christian Cage is currently the TNT Champion, he’s one of the best parts of AEW right now. His promos are consistently entertaining and the formation of the faction is at an interesting time. 

None of the men in the backstage attack of the AEW Trios Champions had the build of Luchasaurus, but Cage is a smart enough heel to understand that his character would stick out like a sore thumb. 

Him and MJF don’t have much history with one another, but Cage is extremely selfish, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for him to worm his way into the AEW World title picture. This pick is more on the unlikely side since his busy with Adam Copeland and friends, but Cage seems like the perfect candidate for the role of The Devil. 

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Swerve Strickland

Like Cage, Swerve Strickland doesn’t have any AEW history with MJF, but his feud with Hangman Page could be his first step into contention as the AEW World Champion. Swerve hasn’t been shy about wanting to become the first Black AEW World Champion, and he’s slowly building steam to the point where that could be a strong possibility. 

Plus, he is the leader of a faction. Granted, none of the men have the build of Brian Cage, but he’s also smart enough not to put the ROH Trio Champion in the mix since it would blow his cover as The Devil. Out of everyone on this list, Swerve seems like a strong candidate to take the belt away from MJF. Though Samoa Joe and Adam Cole are waiting in the wings, it wouldn’t be shocking if Swerve became the next AEW World Heavyweight Champion before 2023 ended.