Former AEW World Champion MJF hasn't been seen on television since he lost his title to Samoa Joe at last year's Worlds End pay-per-view. However, he turned up today on the timeline of his former best friend and current archnemesis, Adam Cole.
MJF and Adam Cole spent the latter half of 2023 as tag team partners and friends. Unfortunately for The Salt of the Earth, Cole showed his true colors at Worlds End, revealing himself as The Devil and betraying Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
Max has been on the shelf ever since to recover from several nagging injuries. In recent weeks, he was reported to have undergone surgery for a torn labrum, and his return to action could be several months away. However, that doesn't mean his rivals have forgotten about him.
As the leader of The Undisputed Kingdom, Adam Cole loves causing chaos. He riled up fans today on X/Twitter when he posted a gif of himself and his former partner. Check it out:
It's unclear what Cole meant with his tweet, but it's obvious that he took great pleasure in betraying and injuring the former AEW World Champion. It remains to be seen what plans the Undisputed Kingdom leader has in store for Friedman once he returns.
MJF was recently spotted in a sling
Maxwell Jacob Friedman reached a historic milestone last year when he became the longest-reigning AEW World Champion. Along the way, he defeated several of the company's top stars, such as Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega.
Unfortunately, MJF's reign ended in the worst possible way. Fighting through multiple injuries, the champion took on the merciless Samoa Joe at AEW Worlds End on December 30, 2023, and lost his title. Directly afterward, Adam Cole revealed himself as the mysterious antagonist who had been haunting the champion for months: The Devil.
Max has been out of the public eye for much of the time since, but he turned up last month at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, where he was seen wearing a sling. Michael Corcoran, aka 'Brock Lesnar Guy,' took a photo with the former champ:
MJF was removed from AEW's roster on January 1st. He's been playing up "The Bidding War of 2024" for years and has claimed that his contract with All Elite Wrestling expired at the start of the new year. Whether he returns to the Jacksonville-based promotion to seek revenge on Adam Cole remains to be seen.