MJF Reportedly Taking Time Off From AEW Following Championship Loss At Worlds End

After losing the AEW World Heavyweight Championship to Samoa Joe at Worlds End, Maxwell Jacob Friedman's night only got worse, as he took a beating from Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Wardlow, who were revealed as the henchmen of Adam Cole, The Devil himself. Now, according to Fightful Select, MJF is in line for some time away from the company.

Per the report, MJF has been suffering from several injuries throughout his reign as AEW Champion, but always insisted on making his dates and defending the title until storylines dictated otherwise. It was insinuated that he could walk that back and continue on in an on-screen role, but the expectation internally is that AEW fans won't see MJF for some time.

Of course, there has been speculation that Worlds End could have been MJF's AEW swan song, with 2024 (and its potential bidding war) now upon us, but Fightful cited WWE sources as saying that conversations with "The King of Long Island" haven't taken place despite suspected prior interest. Instead, the general consensus is that MJF re-signed well over a year ago, no matter what has been put forth in character to the contrary.