MJF finally becomes World Champion; Brawl Out – Best and Worst of AEW in 2022

AEW has had the most tumultuous year in the company's young history in 2022. After an initial period of goodwill, everything feels like it has started to unravel for Tony Khan's promotion this year.

The previous joke of AEW standing for 'All Friends Wrestling' feels like a lifetime ago, judging by the numerous backstage fallouts and negative press that the organization had to weather over the past twelve months. But even in the darkness, there were bright spots that lends hope to the notion of AEW bouncing back in 2023. Here we look at the best and worst of All Elite Wrestling in 2022.

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#5. Best – The Acclaimed become AEW Tag Team Champions

At Dynamite Grand Slam, The Acclaimed defeated Swerve In Our Glory to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships. The duo of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens can lay claim to the honor of being the first homegrown AEW tag team to achieve this accolade.

What made their accomplishment even more impressive was the fact the the young team rode the groundswell in support of wrestling fans who fell in love with Caster's entertaining raps and Bowens' hilarious scissoring. The addition of 'Daddy Ass' Billy Gunn completed the presentation.

The biggest criticism facing Tony Khan has always been that he preferred to push the WWE stars that joined the company as opposed to nurturing his own homegrown talents. The Acclaimed is one such exception. Their success gives hope in the company's ability to create their own stars of tomorrow.

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#4. Worst – Cody Rhodes leaves AEW

Former AEW EVP Cody Rhodes had been with the company since the very beginning of their inception in 2019. He was an integral part of their early success and was a featured performer on their television programming.

Despite never winning the AEW World Championship, he was the inaugural TNT Champion, holding the title three times and building its prestige. While starting out as a beloved babyface, his relationship with the audience grew complicated as his perceived self-indulgence and tone-deaf promos started rubbing AEW fans the wrong way.

Ahead of his TNT Championship defense against Sammy Guevara in a Ladder match at the start of the year, few people expected his impassioned speech on Dynamite to be his last in the promotion he helped create.

A man infamous for destroying a throne with a sledgehammer in a shot at Triple H would shockingly leave the company he helped build and return home to WWE. It was one of the most memorable WrestleMania returns in history.

Given what transpired in AEW in 2022, this was perhaps the first sign of cracks pointing to deeper problems within the company. It definitely feels like a turning point for the promotion as Rhodes was the first AEW star to defect from the company to WWE.

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#3. Best – MJF finally becomes AEW World Champion

Speaking of homegrown stars, MJF finally became the AEW World Champion in 2022. It’s been a long time coming for the Salt of the Earth, who has evolved from the company's hottest prospect to the most over heel in the entire wrestling industry,

The main event of Full Gear saw MJF capture the title for the first time, defeating Jon Moxley. He returned to AEW at All Out back in September after taking an extended hiatus from the company due to contractual issues with owner Tony Khan.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has made no secret of his intentions to encourage a bidding war in 2024 between WWE and AEW. His stock has never been higher than it is now, therefore Tony Khan would do well to ensure he remains and is an integral part of the company for the future.

MJF is a true generational talent and this year was when he finally realized his limitless potential and reached the top of the mountain. It will be fascinating to see what's next for the 26-year-old heading into the new year. Judging from his captivating mini-program with Ricky Starks and impending rivalry with Bryan Danielson, MJF will continue to be the company's top attraction.

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#2. Worst – Post-AEW All Out media scrum and backstage brawl

AEW All Out will live on as one of the darkest days in company history. By the time the dust settled on the night, no one would remember what happened during the pay-per-view. Instead, it would be CM Punk's explosive tirade and subsequent backstage brawl with The Elite that would long live in infamy.

It wasn't supposed to end this way for the Second City Saint. Having returned to pro wrestling barely a year ago after a long absence, CM Punk had one of the best years of his wrestling career, proving that he still had what it took to earn the moniker of Best In The World.

From his rivalries with MJF to winning the AEW World Championship, Punk was the company's biggest draw and rightly so. However, it soon came to light that he felt undermined by the likes of Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page. He would lambast The Elite for their perceived role in leaking stories to the press about Punk trying to sabotage former best friend Colt Cabana's career, all while his boss Tony Khan sat silently beside him.

It made Punk, Tony and the company look bad and everyone involved was subsequently suspended. The Elite would ultimately return to programming at the recent Full Gear pay-per-view, but Punk has remained absent. He is also reportedly recovering from surgery after getting hurt at All Out.

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Punk is still under contract with All Elite Wrestling and is being paid. However, sources close to the former world champion have indicated that the hold-up on his release is on the company's side of the equation, as Punk is “ready and willing to move on to his next project.”

If Punk eventually does leave the company, it would truly be a shame as he was one of the best parts of All Elite Wrestling programming this past year. The recent Dynamite ratings have also proved that his absence has caused the program to lose viewers. Regardless of whose side you're on in the real-life feud, what is clear is that this was easily the worst All Elite Wrestling moment of 2022.

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#1. Best – CM Punk vs. MJF rivalry

CM Punk and MJF easily had the best rivalry in AEW history at the start of the year. Having returned to wrestling for the first time in seven years in 2021, fans were itching to see the Straightedge Superstar get really stuck into a personal feud, the likes of which they'd seen from him during his time in WWE.

Within a few months of Punk's All Elite Wrestling debut, MJF stepped up to trade verbal barbs with the former WWE Champion, leading to several big matches between the two men along with some memorable promo exchanges as well.

Their first match together was on the February 2, 2022 edition of Dynamite in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. MJF got the win that night, which was Punk’s first loss in the company. As the rivalry escalated to a highly personal level when they next met at Revolution on March 6th, Punk would get his win back in a brutal Dog Collar Match.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, MJF boldly claimed that their rivalry was one for the ages:

“What I will say is that me and CM Punk had the greatest feud in the history of the company and I honestly think it will go down as one of the greatest feuds of all-time.”

Who are we to disagree with the Salt of the Earth? The feud combined all the best elements of a compelling wrestling feud. There was drama, a real-life backstory, multi-layered characters, must-see promo segments and a pair of critically-acclaimed matches. With both stars each having a win to their name, it's such a shame that Punk's future seems to be away from the company as we are robbed of a thrilling rubber match. Despite that, their rivalry was far and away the best AEW moment of 2022.