Former AEW World Champion Reportedly Expected To Return At Full Gear 2026

A former AEW World Champion is reportedly set to return from hiatus at AEW Full Gear 2026 on Saturday. That person is also likely to be involved in a title feud upon his return, according to a new report.

According to Fightful Select ahead of the show from Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, MJF, is set to make his return and was planned to travel into the city, something the outlet previously noted ahead of AEW WrestleDream. MJF was last seen on AEW programming in the casino gauntlet match at AEW All In London, a match that was ultimately won by Andrade El Idolo.

In the latest update, Fightful reported that MJF was expected to return "much sooner," both by the outlet and internally in the company, but a "slight pivot" was made. As for what title feud MJF will be involved in upon his reported return, Fightful didn't specify.

Before his hiatus from AEW programming, MJF was feuding with Andrade going into the casino gauntlet match. The former AEW World Champion was adamant he'd be the man winning the contract for a guaranteed top title shot, but Andrade pinned Nick Wayne for the victory.