'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQI/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQL/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM9Thf8A/8QAHhABAAICAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDABEEEiExUaH/2gAIAQEAAT8AOa1FtBXBjI6VTuOx2evH1xm7c//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAECAQE/AI//xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIh/9oACAEDAQE/ALus/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
According to a veteran, a former WWE Superstar could have been positioned as a huge babyface if he had opposed Jon Moxley and his crew. The talent in question made his return to AEW television recently.
This week on Wednesday Night Dynamite, Adam Cole showed up after a prolonged injury-forced break and cut a vicious promo, taking aim at his former friend-turned-bitter-rival MJF, whom he had confronted at WrestleDream 2024. The former WWE NXT Champion elaborated on the nature of his past relationship with Friedman, who he claimed was untrustworthy and evil. He also voiced his hatred for the former AEW World Champion and invited the latter to fight him in the ring.
However, The Wolf of Wrestling addressed Cole on the tron from someplace outside the arena, blaming his former tag partner for breaking his trust and for betraying him at Worlds End 2023. He also refused to engage with Cole physically, though the latter insisted that Friedman would not be able to hide from his retaliation.
Discussing the current rivalry between Adam Cole and MJF on Busted Open Radio, WWE and ECW legend Tommy Dreamer argued that AEW ought to have booked The Panama City Playboy going against Jon Moxley and the villainous BCC if he had to be brought back as a legitimate babyface, instead of continuing his program with Friedman.
"I get [Cole] coming back as a babyface - I did not have a problem with that," Dreamer said. "I wish he would have come back towards anyone else but MJF. If he would've come back with everything running amok by Jon Moxley and this crew... If he comes back to help Bryan Danielson, he's already now plugged in as your biggest babyface."
Dreamer further suggested that the promo exchange between Cole and MJF on AEW Dynamite failed to properly explain the switch in the heel-face dynamic between the two stars.
"MJF was right in his promo," Dreamer added. "My babyfaces are being the aggressors, but my heels - there's no twisted reality. MJF literally said, 'You were my friend, and I let you in, and then you screwed me over.' How do I not want to cheer for MJF?" [H/T - WrestlingInc.]
The AEW returns of MJF and Adam Cole served one crucial purpose, claimed WWE legend Mark Henry
At the WrestleDream Pay-Per-View earlier this month, MJF returned for the first time since All Out 2024 to confront Daniel Garcia. Before The Salt of The Earth could assault the former ROH Pure Champion, however, he was interrupted by the shocking comeback of Adam Cole, who sprinted to the ring to chase away Friedman and make the save for Garcia.
On a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry claimed that while the former WWE NXT star returning as a heroic figure to face off against a now-heel MJF may not have made a lot of narrative sense, both stars coming back to All Elite programming provided a solution to an issue that had been affecting the promotion for some time. This was, according to Henry, the lack of fresh faces who could develop its mid-card scene and launch compelling storylines.
It remains to be seen what lies next for MJF and Adam Cole in All Elite Wrestling.
