MJF

The MJF era is upon AEW.

While predictable as it gets, MJF's ascension to AEW top dog on Saturday night at Full Gear with a win over Jon Moxley to become AEW world champion was executed to perfection.

MJF, ever the wily heel but getting cheered like a babyface, fulfilled his "promise" to not use his ring in a way that would help him cheat and win.

So he used some brass knuckles passed over by William Regal, won and away AEW goes into an inevitably prosperous era.

Right on time, too. After some recent drama surrounding the main event scene and otherwise, beloved as he is, there was no way Moxley would walk out of Full Gear as champion yet again. If nothing else, the fans would revolt because the man needs a vacation.

Fittingly, the main event capped off what was easily AEW's best pay-per-view of the year after a rocky year. The promotion has a chance to do a soft reset now and make things a little more simple for viewers in terms of number of names and storylines to track, plus has new headlining champions with Jamie Hayter and MJF.

But MJF is by far the most interesting point.

It wasn't too long ago that fans had to fret over whether MJF might up and leave the company in the biggest bidding war in modern pro wrestling history. That seems like a long, long time ago and now all they have to worry about is which amazing storyline AEW might pluck down from an everlasting storyline tree and throw at them first.

How about Regal's heel turn? That's the death-knell for the BCC (Blackpool Combat Club), whose superstars besides the vacationing Moxley certainly can't agree with the leader's actions.

But there was a chef's kiss bit of storytelling between Regal and MJF. After repeated warnings, Regal watched as MJF didn't lean on a clutch like the ring. After finally doing so, Regal tossed him the brass knuckles anyway.

Maybe that's reading a little too much into it, but it sure feels like we could be heading for a Paul Heyman-CM Punk sort of vibe with Regal and MJF.

At the end of the day, maybe a face turn for MJF never felt right anyway. Why turn the guy who is going to get endless cheers from fans anyway? We're talking about the guy who got more cheers than CM Punk in Chicago. Let him play the "heel" while the fanbase plays along in a way that lets AEW also crown future babyface champions over the long-term.

For those doubting the still-heel approach, MJF made sure in a curse-filled rant at post-show presser to offer a reminder:

And that's just the tip of cliché iceberg as far as directions. MJF will still have to deal with the fallout from his interactions with The Firm, a group he fired and then clashed with recently. They (thankfully for viewers) didn't run-in on the main event, but there will be drama there to address.

Painting in even broader strokes, a new heel champion means fan favorites like Kenny Omega (back from an injury) and Adam "Hangman" Page (purgatory for a while now, in a few respects) can re-enter the main event scene.

At some point, Moxley will return to seek out his revenge too and when he's refreshed and absence has worked its magic on fans, MJF's reactions and the encounters that follow will be glorious.

That is, unless Moxley for some reason doesn't take that vacation and they draw this out. It could work quite well, although it's unlikely.

Realistically, fans can understand that MJF is likely to hold the belt for a long, long time. While some tuned-in fans understand the contract drama likely isn't a thing anymore, AEW would be foolish not to exploit that angle, too. Calling back to a certain CM Punk run in WWE that blurs the lines of reality would make for an unforgettable stretch.

But hey, with those landmarks surely in AEW's future, it just loops back to an important lesson from Saturday night—predictable is very, very good when handled properly.

And without a doubt, this new MJF era for AEW will receive the proper handling. After all, it's now MJF, who at 26 years old is already one of the best in pro wrestling, at the controls. If there's anyone to steer the promotion back on track after a bumpy ride, if not take it to new heights in the process, it's the man now clutching its world championship.

MJF defeated Jon Moxley in the main event of Full Gear on Saturday night to win the AEW World Championship for the first time in his career.

The ending sequence began with MJF pulling out the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but a furious William Regal stormed ringside and told him not to use it. That led to MJF flipping Regal off.

Moxley ended up getting the upper hand, though, and even got MJF to submit via a chokehold, but referee Bryce Remsburg, who had been knocked out earlier with a Moxley lariat, was still recovering. The same went for replacement ref Paul Turner, who got knocked out later in the match.

Eventually, Regal slid a pair of brass knuckles to MJF, telling him it was the only way he would win. Sure enough, MJF knocked out Moxley with the knucks and hid them in his tights. At this point, Remsburg woke up in time for a three-count to give MJF the belt.

Moxley lost despite hitting an avalanche Paradigm Shift as well as a piledriver off the apron and onto a table below:

In the end, though, MJF capped the night by leaving the arena with the title.

For essentially his entire time with All Elite Wrestling, MJF had been in pursuit of the AEW world title, and he received one of his biggest opportunities yet at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The 26-year-old assured himself an AEW World Championship match in September at All Out when he entered the Casino ladder match as a surprise participant under a mask and won with help from The Firm.

At the conclusion of All Out, after CM Punk beat Moxley for the AEW World Championship, MJF revealed himself as the man behind the mask and seemingly signaled that he would be going after Punk and the title.

Prior to appearing at All Out, MJF had been off AEW programming for a few months. His absence was a result of what occurred the weekend of Double or Nothing and the ensuing episode of Dynamite in May.

The Salt of the Earth did not show up for the Double or Nothing fanfest, leading to rumors he would no-show his match against Wardlow. He did show up but was beaten soundly in a squash.

On the post-Double or Nothing episode of Dynamite, MJF cut a scathing promo about AEW President Tony Khan and the company as a whole, which led to it removing him from its website as part of an angle.

The heel eventually returned as expected, but the apparent plan for his title feud was thrown for a loop when Punk was suspended and stripped of the championship in the wake of a reported backstage altercation with The Elite after All Out.

The promotion subsequently held a tournament to determine a new titleholder, and Moxley became AEW world champ for an unprecedented third time by beating Bryan Danielson in the finals.

With Mox holding the belt once again, MJF turned his attention toward him and made it clear that he intended to become the face of AEW once and for all.

He did that by beating Moxley, and the question now becomes whether the title win will convince him to stay with AEW long-term, or if he will test free agency in 2024 and consider jumping to WWE.

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