MJF Explains Cody Betrayal, Jon Moxley's New Opponent and More AEW Fallout

Wednesday's airing of All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite needed to walk the transitional line well.

On one hand, it needed to deal with the fallout of Saturday's excellent, eventful Full Gear pay-per-view. But it also needed to start laying the groundwork for future episodes by continuing or assembling new storyline threads to tug at on a weekly basis.

Calling Dynamite a success in these areas would be an understatement. Fans got, in no particular order, backstage fights, meaningful character development, Jon Moxley's next opponent and more, to merely scratch the surface.

Here's a look at the top moments and takeaways from Wednesday's episode.

Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega brutalized each other at Full Gear, using glass, barbed wire and an assortment of other weaponry to leave each other changed forever.

And that's not much of an exaggeration. Omega had a brief but interesting video package highlighting some of his wounds and his struggle to get clearance to get back in the ring. It's the latest in a long line of superb character development for a guy many thought would be at the top of the promotion.

In keeping with the Moxley character, he was there and cleared—of course. He had a brief match and win before cutting another all-timer of a promo, issuing an open challenge to the locker room.

Fittingly, Darby Allin later accepted.

Allin has been one of the fastest-rising stars in AEW, even putting on an incredible match with Cody. Getting into a hardcore fight with Moxley can only raise his star power, and for Moxley, it's a fitting feud that could classify as a dream for some fans while keeping him out of the title scene.

Look, a match between the Jurassic Express and The Dark Order was what it was: fun undercard fodder to keep guys present in the minds of fans for when the title scene needs some new faces.

But it was after the match when things got interesting.

Evil Uno tried to recruit Marko Stunt before a brawl broke out, prompting the return of Luchasaurus—who, as the announcers mentioned, was expected to remain out with an injury until perhaps next year.

Given the crown reaction (gigantic) and the general adoration of fans toward Luchasaurus thanks to his look and unique move set, his surprise return has some big implications on the tag title scene. This doesn't mean he's headed right for title fights, but the division just got a jolt.

The biggest moment of Dynamite, of course, was MJF with a mic in his hands.

Talk about something we might be saying for a long, long time.

MJF betrayed Cody during his mentor's title match at Full Gear, throwing in the white towel late in the match, ending Cody's chance to ever challenge for the company's top title again before delivering a low blow for good measure.

The reasoning? MJF says Cody exploited him and doesn't like fans. That's keeping it much, much simpler than the full promo itself, but reading about it simply can't do it justice. MJF was excellent, angry and called himself the face of AEW while standing in the ring with its top champion.

To top it all off, MJF and Chris Jericho had some hilarious interactions while teasing MJF joining The Inner Circle. We all knew that wasn't happening, but it was brilliant in its execution.

And after all that, a banged-up Cody appeared, looking for a fight, and promptly got the tar kicked out of him thanks to a debuting Wardlow. This wasn't exactly widely anticipated, but Wardlow looked impressive, and it doesn't hurt to have some more juice in this feud, which figures to go for a long time. The MJF-Jericho dances from here on out should be great in their own right, and AEW's top storyline is simply must-see material.

Jericho was finally pinned in AEW.

That's the big takeaway from a tag match to close the show, wherein the top champ and Sammy Guevara ended up losing to the tag team champs, SCU.

Onlookers might hate the idea of Jericho getting pinned at all, might hate the idea of who did it and hate the idea The Inner Circle doesn't get a chance to hold all the top titles, not just one.

But it sort of works. SCU's Scorpio Sky ended up getting a quick pin on a small package, catching Jericho off guard just like he did recently to win the titles. It's a fun, running theme AEW can do something with in the coming weeks, if not months. And Sky himself is starting to look like he might have one of the brightest futures in AEW, so once he hits the singles circuit, he can hang this pin over Jericho's head.

And Jericho getting pinned works too. He's escaped and escaped and escaped while not playing by the rules. He got caught, and it should prove interesting to watch where his character goes from here.

Jericho closed the show by trashing the ringside area, hinting this could be just the beginning.