MJF Throws Down Gauntlet For A Title Match, But Not In AEW

With a guaranteed AEW World Championship match in his back pocket and issues with Mark Briscoe still unresolved, MJF has plenty to keep his attention. But the biggest thing on his plate may be his rivalry with Mistico, whom MJF unmasked at AEW Grand Slam: Mexico City following Mistico's victory over him by disqualification, and then attacked again at an MLW show a week later. And as speculation continues to swirl that an MJF vs. Mistico match may headline CMLL's Aniversario in September, the Long Island native has made another move hinting towards that direction.

At the end of "CMLL Informa" Wednesday evening, MJF made a surprise appearance via video, revealing that he wasn't done with Mistico and wouldn't be until he took everything from the lucha libre icon. He then revealed the next part of that plan would be taking the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship, a title he claimed Mistico cared the most about, from its current champion, Averno. No official date was set for the match, though it would seem likely to take place over the next month.

While Averno holding the World Light Heavyweight Title would be enough to put him in MJF's sights, he is also a fitting opponent due to his own history with Mistico. Entwined since Mistico burst onto the scene in the mid-2000s, Averno has long been considered Mistico's greatest rival, at one point even being rumored to join Mistico in WWE when the latter became Sin Cara in 2011, though no deal for Averno ever materialized. Their rivalry has continued into the 2020s, with Averno successfully defending the World Light Heavyweight title against Mistico earlier this year in Guadalajara.