SouthernWorldwide.com – Maxwell Jacob Friedman, widely known as MJF, entered the main event of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at Double or Nothing in New York City on Sunday night with a significant amount on his mind.
He risked his hair in a bid to become a three-time AEW World Champion, facing Darby Allin in his home state. This was a rematch, as Allin had previously defeated MJF for the title over a month prior. The presence of pro wrestling legend Mick Foley, who made an appearance with the company before the show, added to the tension, as he had some pointed remarks for MJF.
MJF’s response was a swift kick to the groin, not only aimed at Foley but also at the thousands of fans who had hoped to see Allin retain his title and shave MJF bald.
Amidst weather conditions typical of the Pacific Northwest on a Memorial Day holiday weekend, and with numerous signs expressing a desire to see MJF bald, the match between MJF and Allin was intense from the outset. MJF managed to avoid a suicide dive from Allin, which sent the latter crashing headfirst into the announce table.
MJF then executed an apron powerbomb on Allin and proceeded to use the steel steps to deliver a package piledriver. The crowd reacted with audible groans to the move, which clearly inflicted damage on both competitors. At one point, the exhausted wrestlers appeared to be hanging on by a thread, exchanging glances that suggested a mutual, albeit hard-fought, admiration across the ring.
The fight, however, was far from over.
MJF attempted to carry Allin up the ramp, possibly to gain an advantage and shave his head before Allin could reach for the clippers. He pushed the barber chair aside, but Allin countered, knocking MJF down. Allin then placed MJF on the table and looked up towards the scaffolding.
Ring announcer Justin Roberts had previously described Allin as “bat s— crazy” when introducing him to the crowd. Allin then proceeded to live up to that description. He climbed the scaffolding, aiming to inflict the final damage needed to put MJF away and retain his championship.
Standing high above MJF on the scaffolding, Allin paid homage to Foley with a “bang, bang” chant before leaping several feet through the air and onto MJF and the table below, creating one of the most spectacular moments of the night.
Allin emerged from the high-risk maneuver in worse condition. The back of his head was bleeding significantly as he attempted to drag MJF back into the ring for the pinfall. Allin landed a Coffin Drop, but MJF managed to kick out at the two-count. He then tried to force MJF to submit with a Scorpion Death Lock, but his strength had waned.
MJF successfully thwarted another Coffin Drop attempt and managed to position Allin for an avalanche Tombstone Piledriver. He executed the move perfectly and pinned Allin to secure the victory.
With this win, MJF became a three-time AEW World Champion at the age of 30. This achievement places him in the company of legendary pro wrestlers such as Lou Thesz, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, John Cena, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Kazuchika Okada.
Perhaps more importantly for MJF, he managed to avoid having his head shaved.
The night’s action wasn’t quite finished for Allin. As he was being carried out of the ring on a stretcher, Kevin Knight made his entrance. Knight appeared to turn heel, delivering a UFO Splash to Allin while he was still immobilized on the stretcher.
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Knight is expected to address his actions on “Dynamite” this coming Wednesday.
