At the conclusion of Dynamite, a show that had its main event world title match in the middle of the show and thus a natural decline afterwards, had an extended overrun this week. Besides the fact that it seemed like the segment was really crowbarred into the format, it was also something that could’ve easily been booked for next week and probably had more or an audience since the ratings tend to dip later in the show, as well as the fact that the previously mentioned Jon Moxley/Adam Page bout was an hour earlier.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman, once thought to be the future of the business and the current number one contender, attacked Mark Briscoe following a match against Ricochet.
This was after Friedman was booted out of The Hurt Syndicate earlier in the night, making him look like a total dork in the process. I’ve written about it before, but it remains relevant now, there are key times when key booking decisions have to be made, and if the office misses the window to capitalize on it then the talent won’t be nearly as over otherwise. Stone Cold cut the 3:16 promo at the right place and at the right time to set the wheels in motion to become the hottest star in the company the following year. Booker T was more than ready to win the world championship in 2003, but Triple H just had to pin him at Wrestlemania.
In the case of MJF, he was supposed to be the ultimate villain, the “real heel” so to speak, even though that should be the standard for all heels in the business, or at least it was at one time. The comedy friendship angle that he did with Adam Cole in 2023 really ruined and diluted any progress that he had as a villain. The switch between heel and baby face within a relatively short time can completely derail a career, just ask Adam Page. When Cole, who was injured at the time and is unfortunately back on the shelf again, was revealed under the devil mask, it made Friedman look silly as a character. The majority of he audience had it figured out for months, but supposedly one of the most calculating characters on the show didn’t see it coming when it was revealed at the end of the year?
Furthermore, and this is probably the bigger point to be made about that disastrous storyline, MJF acting like a comedy baby face with the lame hug spots and the cringe worthy kangaroo kick neutered him as a serious character. Sure, performance-wise, those guys did the best they could with what they were given, but when a character is put in a scenario that sacrifices their credibility, it undoubtedly affects the perception of that performer going forward.
Just a few months ago, MJF was only making cameos at ringside during pay-per-views and begging to be a part of a faction, is that really a main event guy?
Now, all of the sudden, the audience is supposed to take him seriously as a vicious heel because he mentioned the late Jay Briscoe? If anything, the fact that Friedman has to reach for more low-hanging fruit to try to get heat as a potential main event villain again almost underscores the notion that maybe he didn’t have quite the potential that many thought he did a few years ago.
This is also something I’ve written before, when you look at the best heels in the history of the business, they didn’t have to resort to “shock tactics” to get heat. For example, Tully Blanchard got a reaction just by his body language and the way that he carried himself in the ring. He looked like a jerk, walked like a jerk, and talked like a jerk so it was very easy to believe that he was a jerk. The late great Roddy Piper had fans in a frenzy and he never had to use profanity to do it.
There’s a difference between working as a heel and desperately trying to shock the audience. MJF is the latter, as he had to use references to CTE, suicide, and now Jay Briscoe’s death to get a crowd reaction. Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve said before, I think Mark Briscoe is more than talented enough and more than over enough to justify an angle where he wins the championship in honor of his late brother, similar to when Kerry Von Erich pinned Ric Flair to win the NWA world heavyweight championship for David more than 40 years ago, but all things considered, that’s not where the storyline is going. The mention of Jay Briscoe’s passing isn’t being used to set up for the wholesome win of his brother, but rather used as a substitue for a compelling storyline to try to get Friedman back in the main event scene after his stock dropped considerably over the past two years.
The most frustrating part of all of this is that there’s absolutely no guarantee that any of this will follow through in a way that will actually put MJF in a position to be a top guy. Given how tarnished his value was in recent years, even if Tony Khan follows through with a potential plan to get him back in the title picture, it’s not automatic that he would get over in that position again. In many ways, with how MJF leaned on cheap heat when he had the main event spotlight, he proved himself to be a big fish in a relatively small pond. Some dismiss the comparison, but would MJF truly stand a chance on the mic with the top tier talent in the WWE? Granted, he can’t use the lower level cheap heat tricks that uses in AEW in that type of scenario, but that’s the point, the WWE talent that are the top names in the business don’t have to lower themselves to CTE references to get a reaction.
This might sound like it’s all a knock on MJF, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Instead it’s that he’s way too talented to either have to resort to such low-hanging fruit, or the way that he was booked minimized the skills that he brought to the table. MJF is a smaller guy that sometimes doesn’t know how to work big, and when he has to attempt to shock the audience, it almost emphasizes his smaller statue. For example, he literally ran from the ring on Dynamite. Either he’s a coward heel or a serious villain that is ready to challenge for the world title, he simply can’t be both at the same time. On the flip side, Randy Savage was someone that knew how to work big and thus enhanced the larger-than-life perception.
If I had to guess, this MJF/Mark Briscoe feud will be used to set Friedman up to challenge Adam Page for the championship at some point in the future. Right now, I’m now sure how much interest that truly draws as a possible money match for the organization, hence why the Briscoe angle will probably be used to renew some heat for Friedman. That being said, if I had a vote, I’d eventually decide to have MJF beat Hangman before Briscoe defeats him to win the title. The problem is, when that doesn’t happen, it’s another key defeat for Mark Briscoe, and it’s possible that the fans will lose faith in him as a character. The result of that would be that the legitimately emotional story of possibly winning the title for his brother will be rendered useless and Mark will become just another guy on the roster, which would be disappointing since he’s much more talented than that.
Even if MJF emerges as the world champion again down the road, I don’t think that it will make much difference in the grand scheme of things. As much as I hope that All Elite Wrestling is successful, the product has been so slapstick for so long that the harsh reality is that the brand has shown itself to be exactly what it appears to be, both positively and negatively, for its audience. Similar to other beleaguered leagues in the past, one signing, storyline, or title change isn’t going to change the course of the promotion. So, if MJF wins the championship, the impact is rather moot, specifically because Tony Khan is content with winning The Wrestling Observer’s booker of the year award instead of making a profit. It’s the complete opposite of the point of the business, but it’s important to keep in mind that profit isn’t the objective for AEW, and considering that the Khan family has billions of dollars, it doesn’t have to be. Still, if Friedman gets the chance to pursue acting on a full-time basis, he might want to take it because there’s a limit to the success of AEW as far as the status of the company.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
