Jim Ross compares top AEW star to Jeff Hardy - "He's unique"

AEW is celebrating its milestone fifth anniversary. The young promotion has found success with a mix of wrestling legends, experienced veterans, established stars, rising rookies, and All Elite Originals, among others. Jim Ross is a key veteran on the roster, and he's just compared a top talent to Jeff Hardy.

Good Ol' JR is widely regarded as one of the greatest minds in pro wrestling. Ross is responsible for recruiting some of the biggest WWE names such as The Hardys, Brock Lesnar, and Trish Stratus. The WWE Hall of Famer has worked with Jeff Hardy many times over the years and feels like he is similar to a top AEW Original - Darby Allin.

Ross recently appeared on Busted Open Radio to discuss AEW's first few years. He touted homegrown talents when asked to give a stand-out positive about the company. The 72-year-old then praised Allin and compared The Invisible Man to The Charismatic Enigma:

"Homegrown talent stepping up and working main event style matches. Example, Darby Allin. Darby's style in the ring might not be everybody's cup of tea. However, he's unique, he's different. He kind of has Jeff Hardy in him from back in the day, and I don't have any problem with that. I think some of these young cats have come into their own. It's heartwarming, they want to live their dreams. I know we hear that a lot and it's cliche as hell, but they want to live their dreams, and now working on these pay-per-views gives them the opportunity to do so. I'm a big fan of living your dream," Jim Ross said. [H/T WrestlingInc]

Darby, Sting, and The Hardys teamed up on Dynamite in March 2022 to defeat Private Party, The Butcher, and The Blade. Jeff then defeated Allin under the Anything Goes stipulation later that year in a quarterfinal match for The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Darby got the win back on January 19 of this year as he and Jeff headlined Rampage.

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AEW announces Dynamite return of MJF

MJF made his big AEW return at the sixth annual Double Or Nothing pay-per-view this past Sunday.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman did not appear live on Dynamite this week for Double Or Nothing fallout, but a video package aired and it was confirmed that he has signed a long-term deal.

It was announced that MJF will return to Dynamite next week in Loveland, Colorado. Rush then issued a warning to the former World Champion, which may explain the recent backstage report on future plans.

Saraya vs. Mariah May has also been announced for next week's Dynamite. The former Paige of WWE has not worked a singles match since losing to Riho on December 20 at the Holiday Bash Dynamite.