MJF, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, is back in AEW.

‘The Salt of the Earth’ resurfaced at Double or Nothing, coming face-to-face with Adam Cole, his former ROH World Tag Team Championships-winning partner. Although he initially embraced Cole, MJF would low blow him instead, sending him scarpering from ringside before embarking on a long promo that saw the 28-year-old name-drop New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Vince McMahon, declare that he was now fuelled by hate rather than friendship and trust, and claim that masks were worn by cowards while holding the Devil mask.

The most noteworthy piece of business regarded MJF’s contractual status. Having worked ‘The Bidding War of 2024’ into AEW storylines, the longest-reigning AEW World Champion pledged his allegiance to All Elite Wrestling with a tattoo that read Bet On Yourself across a poker chip. Indeed, Maxwell Jacob Friedman will remain All Elite for the foreseeable future.

Double or Nothing marked MJF’s first AEW appearance since World’s End on December 30, 2023. That night, he was dethroned as World Champion by Samoa Joe before Adam Cole revealed himself as The Devil, backed by Wardlow, Roderick Strong, and The Kingdom. He was written off following a show-closing beatdown, allowing him some much-needed time off to recuperate a series of injuries that had plagued his in-ring work.

Was MJF Ever Going To Leave AEW?

The contractual future of MJF had been a popular topic of discussion amongst wrestling circles stemming back to Double or Nothing 2022; there, MJF had no-shown a fan event and reportedly went unresponsive to AEW higher-ups’ enquiries, putting his anticipated match vs. Wardlow into question. He inevitably appeared, did the job for his former muscle, called Tony Khan a mark on the following Dynamite, and disappeared for around four months.

In truth, MJF had been signed to All Elite Wrestling the entire time. Fightful Select reported two days before Double or Nothing that he had signed a contract extension sometime after the 2022 event, though the exact length is unknown.

MJF has been with AEW since its inauguration and is considered a Pillar of the promotion alongside Darby Allin, Jack Perry, and Sammy Guevara.