Backstage Report On MJF & Will Ospreay's AEW Feud

The feud between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Will Ospreay has become one of the most talked about rivalries in wrestling over the past few months. From their near 60-minute match on the 250th episode of "AEW Dynamite," to MJF rechristening the AEW International Championship as the AEW American Championship, the two men have got fans around the world excited for their showdown on August 25 at the All In pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium.

While many people may have expected Ospreay to be challenging for the AEW World Championship in his home country, or even walking into London as the champion to begin with, a new report from Fightful Select has offered some insight into how this feud all came together. The report noted that Ospreay's match with MJF at All In had been locked in for some time. This was part of the reason why Ospreay wanted Swerve Strickland to win their AEW World Championship match at Forbidden Door, so people could get Ospreay being in the world title picture out of their heads since plans had already been set in motion.

MJF had already known about these plans since his return to the company in May, with the idea of the two men feuding over the summer in the lead-up to All In being pitched long before he returned at Double or Nothing. However, their near 60-minute match seems to be a recent development as there were discussions in the lead-up if they should do it at all. As for the AEW American Championship, that looks to be a temporary move to give MJF even more heat with the English crowd ahead of All In, with the AEW International Championship looking to be elevated long-term as a result of this feud.