In a move straight out of the How to Stir the Pot handbook, AEW World Champion MJF has laid down the gauntlet (literally!) for Adam Cole and his frenemy-turned-frenemy-again, Roderick Strong. The stakes? A chance to face “The Devil Himself” at Full Gear. And in true MJF fashion, the challenge comes with a twist—whoever can rack up three consecutive wins first gets a shot at the champ.
It all kicked off during AEW Dynamite, where Cole, fresh off recovering from injury, grabbed the mic to address his ongoing feud with the self-proclaimed “Wolf of Wrestling.” But just as things were heating up, out came Roderick Strong, joined by his cronies Matt Taven and Mike Bennett of The Undisputed Kingdom. Strong made it clear that while Cole might have something to say about MJF, the world already knows everything it needs to about the AEW Champion. That didn’t stop Taven and Bennett from reminding everyone that their faction’s origin story was all tied to the “Devil” storyline, and they’re planning on finishing what they started.
Deal With the Devil
The twist came when MJF, the master of puppet-stringing, appeared via the titantron. In classic smug fashion, MJF agreed to face one of them at Full Gear. The catch? Whoever can stack up three wins first gets the prize. Cole and Strong, putting on their best “we’re still friends, right?” faces, shook hands and agreed to the deal—though Kyle O’Reilly, shown watching backstage, probably has some thoughts of his own. This isn’t just a sprint; it’s a full-on race to the AEW Championship, and the competition’s already heating up.
Cole vs. Buddy Matthews Incoming?
To further fan the flames, after the House of Black’s trios win later that night, Buddy Matthews made his presence known by calling out Adam Cole. Cue a backstage segment where Matthews, looking like a man who’s ready to tear down the fragile-looking Cole, said he did it to make a point. With Matthews likely to be Cole’s first challenge in this gauntlet-style race, things just got a whole lot more interesting.
Whether Cole’s fragile state can hold up or Strong’s endurance will prevail, one thing’s for sure: AEW Full Gear is shaping up to be a must-watch showdown.