This past Saturday night, MJF lost the AEW World Championship via technical submission to Samoa Joe in the main event of AEW Worlds End. Following the match, Friedman was once again attacked by The Devil and his mysterious masked men. This time, however, fans were let in on who The Devil and his minions were: Adam Cole, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong, and Wardlow. The title change and reveal of The Devil were not unexpected, as Friedman heavily indicated he would be taking time off after the show, and Cole was the only logical choice for The Devil at this point.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reports that Friedman’s shoulder is legitimately injured. The former AEW World Champion will now decide whether he wants to rehab the injury or undergo surgery. It was noted that the injury is severe enough that he may need the surgery, and if that happens, he will be out of action for quite a while. He is unlikely for tomorrow night’s AEW Dynamite.
In an emotional editorial prior to Worlds End, Friedman once again tried to play into the idea that he would become a free agent on January 1. For its part, AEW has removed Friedman from its website’s official roster page to give the impression he is no longer with the company. As Haus of Wrestling previously reported, Friedman has not been in talks with anyone at WWE, and the internal belief at the sports entertainment juggernaut is that the young star has already re-signed with AEW.
Tomorrow night’s post-Worlds End episode of AEW Dynamite will feature Orange Cassidy defending his AEW International Championship against Dante Martin and Mariah May making her in-ring debut. While not officially announced, new AEW World Champion Samoa Joe is expected to make an appearance in some capacity, along with Cole and his newly revealed masked men.