The July 17 edition of AEW Dynamite was the 250th episode celebration. The show featured a massive match between Will Ospreay and MJF, all complete with a title change.
A Celebration of AEW
The match between Will Ospreay and MJF lasted 59 minutes and 58 seconds. The match perfectly encapsulated AEW’s past, present, and future history.
Subverting tradition, MJF again was able to steal the victory, along with Ospreay’s AEW International Championship. One of the best characters in wrestling defeated perhaps the best wrestler alive today.
It was more than a banger. It was another potential match of the year candidate.
Hidden in plain sight, and something I hinted at, but did not outright state in this week’s Dynamite preview (here). The match defined the first hour.
The past was progressed. AEW continues to improve upon the drama of time limit draws.
Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin. Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson. “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson. MJF vs. Adam Cole. Bullet Club Gold vs. FTR. I probably missed examples.
As a fan with high expectations of AEW, I have been critical of relying on repetition (which I’ve discussed here). It’s one marker of AEW’s creative potholes (which I’ve also written about here).
Yet the wrestlers get me and many other AEW fans each time. In representing the present of AEW, the balance of storytelling and wrestling lived up to the AEW mantra for this year, “Where the best wrestle”.
Notice that, in recent weeks, AEW has shown rather than told this to the fans.
“The feeling” is perhaps coming back. Already my mind and many others are trying to work out what’s next for both men heading to Wembley, All In and beyond.
Surely, this isn’t a one-and-done? Given the way the match ended- it can’t be.
And in the meantime, what’s next for the former and new champion? The future looks promising.
So much was achieved with one match.
MJF- The Devil’s Story
Will Ospreay’s title reign has been caught and compromised to a permanent end.
America has a real champion now.
Easy W. #ThankMeLater
— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™️ (@The_MJF) July 18, 2024
This match was more than about the AEW International Championship for MJF. When still pretending to be the good guy in Buffalo, New York, MJF talked to Daniel Garcia about wrestling not being about the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.
Intended foreshadowing or not, this match was about marking territory. For MJF, this was as much about proving that, despite his absence, no one is on the level of the devil.
Ospreay has been the focal point of AEW this year. Not MJF, the man who was supposed to be the star of the bidding war of 2024.
In the real bidding war, Ospreay was the huge get. It was in November at Full Gear. Ospreay announced he would be all elite in January.
This coincided with fan dissatisfaction with MJF’s AEW World Championship reign. A reign that, in retrospect, MJF deserves more credit for.
Especially given the various issues that plagued AEW in 2023 (you can read about it here). MJF’s definitive heel turn after putting Garcia on a stretcher was driven by rejection and feeling inferior.
Ospreay interrupted MJF’s moment with Garcia. MJF assumed Garcia would turn down a match at All In.
The Salt of the Earth forgets nothing. He lets go of nothing. MJF remembered the fans turned on him. So, he turned on them.
While this or other layers to why MJF, a character with rejection sensitivity disorder, were not added to this first bout with Ospreay saves fuel for their legacy feud in the making.
Will Ospreay – Double Doubt
At the end of the match, Ospreay, on muscle memory, was ready to hit the Tiger Driver. Again, Ospreay hesitated and carried on the long-term story beat that’s featured in his matches since defeating Bryan Danielson at Dynasty.
It gave the opportunity for MJF to use the diamond ring for the first time in months after Bryce Remsburg had been knocked down. In two big contests in three weeks, Ospreay has faltered.
First for the AEW World Championship because he would not cheat as Don Callis instructed – Ospreay hesitated. Then again on Wednesday evening.
It allowed MJF – a man willing to cheat – the opportunity to capture victory in a finish that wrestlers, both fictionally and behind the scenes, have dreamt of. With two seconds to spare. Ospreay’s best was not good enough.
Although many fans were speculating that All In would be where Ospreay wins the AEW World Championship, the subversion of expectations has only helped Swerve Strickland’s championship reign. It’s avoided half of the two-part problem I discussed during his ascension (here).
Ospreay will be a future world champion. His rise is going on a detour and that’s not a bad thing. Fans need to remember that 2024 is the first year of Ospreay’s career where he has been a weekly episodic character on a wrestling show.
Rather than just relying on his wrestling abilities, Ospreay week on week has elevated himself with his promos and character work. A full analysis of his progression can be read here.
This storyline of Ospreay’s own doubt and hesitation is leading somewhere. Yet what it means for All In now is puzzling?
Does Ospreay go back to The Don Callis Family? I mean, in the storyline, Callis has been proven somewhat right.
Ospreay is missing something.
Why Give MJF the International Championship?
MJF now holds his second AEW singles championship. While the discussion that AEW has too many championships is valid and still current discord.
However, in 2024, the title holders for at least two of these championships have been placed in the 1B and 1C brackets of the main event scene. I’ve written about Kazuchika Okada’s AEW Continental Championship win.
His reign addresses a selection headache of who should be the top champion. Winning the Continental Champion helped establish Okada in North America where Japanese talent, due to the language barrier, have not always been booked as defined or consistent weekly TV characters. You can read about how here.
A bit like Kenny Omega after his return from injury in August 2022. There will be a time for Okada to show why he is one of the best.
Right now is not the time. Instead, developing his character, despite detractors moaning, makes him different from Ospreay and others wrestling weekly.
I also wrote (here) about how Ospreay’s International Championship win could have been an attempt to try and distract fans from thinking about what then seemed like the inevitable. That Ospreay would take the AEW World Championship from Strickland.
At the same time, the International Champion has been the workhorse championship for AEW since Orange Cassidy‘s first championship run. The TNT Championship has become the open challenge championship.
The Continental Championship has its own stipulations. No interference, title changes on a DQ or countout. These have still not been fully explored.
Giving MJF the International Championship in effect does three things. It furthers Ospreay’s storyline doubt.
Like Ospreay and Okada, it might give MJF a division to oversee and keep him away from the world championship, for now. Third, where MJF’s reign is heading.
What’s Next for MJF as the International Champion?
Giving MJF the workhorse championship could lead to a different type of reign. Historically, MJF as a champion has always made opponents jump through hoops. However, there are in-built risks.
First, when MJF did this with the AEW World Championship, the trope tired quickly. MJF had taken the same approach with opponents like Cody Rhodes, Wardlow, and Chris Jericho before he was champion.
Further repetition could only be detrimental. Also, with Okada and The Young Bucks sparingly defending the Continental championship as part of their gimmick, there is the risk of too much of the same across divisions. We’ll have to wait and see.
MJF is a generational performer and, as a heel, is at his strongest. However, should we be expecting a long reign of terror? I’m not so sure.
My prediction is this will be a short but hopefully impactful reign used to help elevate someone else on the roster. There are two potential challengers in my mind.
First, it would seem that PAC is MJF’s first defense at All In. Those were the stakes in the Global Glory four-way match in Calgary and would be fitting.
When writing this week’s Dynamite preview, I did have a momentary lapse from reality to daydream about MJF vs. PAC. As a story also, PAC has repeatedly failed to win a championship this year despite being so close.
Winning the International Championship again in his home country would be a well-deserved moment for the Bastard with a huge pop from his countrymen. Or for All Out, perhaps MJF will do the honors for Garcia.
What about Ospreay and All In?
If Ospreay isn’t facing MJF, then who in London? I mean, it could still happen if Ospreay faces and beats PAC in the coming weeks. A rematch will be inevitable.
Yet, this would shortchange PAC. Unless that’s the point – to lead to some kind of interference to cost Ospreay and create another side feud?
This is the joy about “the feeling” in AEW. You’re encouraged to think deeply and long-term about what’s next.
At Wembley, Ospreay needs a big match. Especially in front of his home crowd.
Anything less would be a disappointment. There is still plenty of time to build something, so maybe things will go full circle with The Don Callis Family.
If so, the issue is that most single-match variations have been done. Except for a singles match with either Rush or Trent Barretta.
Rush vs. Ospreay, in some hybrid bloody brawl, could be inspiring. A very different type of challenge for Ospreay to overcome.
Barretta vs. Ospreay would be more TV-level, especially given Barretta’s win-loss record this year.
Last year’s All In in build and card was underwhelming. On the night, it delivered what could have been – outside of WrestleMania – the best event of the year.
Although a weak ending to AEW’s 2023 likely clouds some folks’ memories. Putting Omega in a multi-man match rather than a singles match felt weak on paper. Although, in-person, the match delivered.
Yet, if the storyline build was right, it was leading to something monumental in the storyline between Ospreay and Callis. There have been teases of Kyle Fletcher still having loyalty to Ospreay.
Ospreay and Fletcher teaming up, possibly with the returning Mark Davies to bring The United Empire to AEW could be a great feel-good moment. If the rest of the card is stacked.
The Inevitable Rematch – When and Where?
Some were critical about starting the 250th episode of Dynamite with such a huge PPV-level match. Ignore the criticisms of some, AEW is and will remain “under attack” for being the alternative and doing things differently.
With more wrestling than this week’s three-hour WWE Raw, AEW made their stance firm with MJF vs. Ospreay. The choice was bold but the rematch, it’s set the bar high.
AEW has a history of delivering with the second chapter. At some point, likely this year, MJF vs. Will Ospreay is going to happen again. It could be for the AEW World Championship.
Both men may be the present as well as the future of AEW. After their next match, there will be another. Then another.
How high can the bar go?
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
