{"id":151184,"date":"2026-01-21T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=151184"},"modified":"2026-01-21T02:04:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T07:04:47","slug":"5-wrestlers-who-should-challenge-mjf-for-the-aew-mens-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/21\/5-wrestlers-who-should-challenge-mjf-for-the-aew-mens-world-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Wrestlers Who Should Challenge MJF for the AEW Men’s World Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since winning the AEW Men\u2019s World Championship at 2025\u2019s Worlds End, MJF has proudly worn his patented \u201cTriple B\u201d. Yet, once again, he has put a massive target on himself in doing so. In fact, he may be wishing he hadn\u2019t burned bridges with the Hurt Syndicate when he did! Be it wrath, disdain, or simply the chase, plenty of stars can make the Long Island native sweat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing out among peers won\u2019t be enough for this, though. Talent facing MJF will need to have a great purpose in doing so. Furthermore, their victory must be satisfying. With my choices, I\u2019m confident that my picks will be compelling foils for the champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kenny Omega<\/span><\/h2>\n

Starting with the most obvious, Kenny Omega makes sense. He even made an excellent case for his chase the moment he addressed MJF on that titantron on the December 31, 2025, New Year\u2019s Smash. In that promo, the Canadian had a light in his eyes he hadn\u2019t for quite some time. Almost three years removed from their initial bout, how will it go this time?<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that MJF surpassed Omega\u2019s 346-day reign at his own staggering 406 in 2023. This is all the more reason for Omega to get his lick back. Moreover, this is a chance for Omega to test himself post-diverticulitis. Can he stand toe-to-toe with a younger opponent in better health? Considering that Omega was still a top-tier performer during his illness and the major injuries from 2017-2022, he may still have \u201cit\u201d<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AEW
Photo Credit: AEW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The reason I hesitate on this pick to dethrone MJF is that Omega, despite his greatness in performance and storytelling, is part-time. Spending more of his current tenure in tag and multi-man tags will likely be the most time he\u2019ll spend competing. This could lead to fewer title defenses should he run with the gold.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hangman Adam Page<\/span><\/h2>\n

Also, a former AEW Men\u2019s World Champion, Hangman Adam Page, makes sense if AEW wants to course-correct. In singles matches, Page consistently got the better of MJF most of the time. To date, MJF has only a single one-on-one victory over Page, dating back to the 2019 Thanksgiving Eve episode of AEW Dynamite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Could MJF even the score with Page? Or will the cowboy ride off in the sunset with gold around his waist once more? Given the massive pool of heel wrestlers, Page is the perennial babyface to take on these dastardly comers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given that the pair have already locked up twice in 2025 in singles and once in a 4-way, it would be best to hold off on this. Page has already proven himself in the Men\u2019s World title picture and may need a change in scenery. Plus, his loss would give room to someone else who could use a first or second reign.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Swerve Strickland<\/span><\/h2>\n

Staying on the topic of Page and his allies, Strickland could greatly benefit from regaining the gold. His first reign, ending at All In 2024, finished all too soon. Losing at the expense of that iconic feel-good moment for Bryan Danielson stung. Regardless, Strickland screams \u201cstar\u201d by his in-ring style, persona, image, and promo alone<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, he and MJF haven\u2019t faced each other in singles competition in AEW yet. That could and should change. Having teased it during MJF\u2019s 2023 reign, it\u2019s a hotly anticipated match. Given that both men are far from who they were that year, this is all the more interesting. MJF has mixed it up against competitors of varying styles, but none quite as unique as Strickland.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, as champ, the opportunities for fresh opponents are salivating. I want Strickland versus Fletcher, versus Takeshita, versus Briscoe, versus Cassidy. Throw all the matches at me. Strickland is a bona fide superstar, and he\u2019s loyal to AEW to boot\u2014take note.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Konosuke Takeshita<\/span><\/h2>\n

The first adopted member of the Don Callis Family seems as though he\u2019s headed for babyface territory. And ever since he lost the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom, his waist is bare of gold. The Osaka, Japan native has personified the look and athleticism of an ideal world champion since his appearance in 2021<\/a> (though it’d take a while for everyone to see the vision).<\/span><\/p>\n

He last faced MJF in February 2023. Takeshita was a babyface then, and MJF the heel. He had yet to win the AEW International Championship or NJPW gold. MJF, nevertheless, was the reigning champion, and he retained. Considering fans had longed for Takeshita to be installed into the main event picture around this time, MJF\u2019s sound victory didn\u2019t assuage their desires, far from it.<\/span><\/p>\n

At this juncture, I\u2019d feel that a Takeshita championship reign would absolutely be possible. Factoring in his current situation in the Don Callis Family, however, I\u2019d imagine Kazuchika Okada and his peers, sympathetic to him, could get in the way and stop the Alpha wholesale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions<\/span><\/h2>\n

A possible ally that Takeshita could feasibly have, though, would be the Protostar Kyle Fletcher. Having been decidedly defeated alongside Aussie Open partner Mark Davis at the 2023 All In, it\u2019s not like Fletcher hasn\u2019t experienced the Salt of the Earth. A 2026 bout between them would separate the boys from the men. Fletcher has grown into a monolith unto himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

While I may not be a Wardlow fan, I\u2019d be remiss not to include him. The history between him and MJF allows for a chance to tie up loose ends in their story. Longtime fans may remember Wardlow as MJF\u2019s personal enforcer. With the real-life hindrance MJF caused Wardlow, the talk of the current champion leaving in 2022 was the conversation. Not Wardlow\u2019s biggest win of his career, but MJF\u2019s shoot antics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Samoa Joe, the previous title holder, would also have ample reason for a rematch with MJF. Cashing in his Casino Gauntlet Contract as a last-minute addition to World’s End added unpredictability to the 4-way match. But without Powerhouse Hobbs in the Opps (and in AEW in general), what chance could Joe stand with just Hook, Katsuyori Shibata, and the Opps Dojo?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Brody King<\/span><\/h2>\n

To segue into another hoss on the AEW roster, I\u2019d like to point out the absolute unit that is Brody King. No longer in the House of Black<\/a>, no longer with Buddy Matthews or Julia Hart, King has enjoyed success, mostly alongside Bandido in the tag team division. Not only would King make for a great World Champion, but he\u2019d also silence the conversation around how AEW books big men.<\/span><\/p>\n

King won the hearts of fans with his brickhouse stature, heavy metal background, and his stances on politics and current events. That iconic \u201cAbolish ICE\u201d entrance at AEW Grand Slam: Mexico is still a topic of conversation, even outside of the realm of pro wrestling. Not to mention, he\u2019s been in the mainstream, having starred in an episode of Tim Robinson\u2019s hit Netflix series \u201cI Think You Should Leave\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brody King as World Champion would be fresh and inventive. It\u2019d open so many avenues on how AEW\u2019s roster could challenge him. Whether face or heel, King with the belt on his shoulder presents a dynamic that would require sound strategy, as he\u2019s both smart and formidable.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what do you think? Who would you put in the championship picture after MJF?<\/span><\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/amp-ad><\/p>\n

Header photo \u2013 WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a> \u2013 Stay tun<\/em>ed to the\u00a0Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>for more on MJF and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop.\u00a0<\/span><\/em>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.\u00a0 You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8 pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content is available on their\u00a0YouTube channel.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since winning the AEW Men\u2019s World Championship at 2025\u2019s Worlds End, MJF has proudly worn his patented \u201cTriple B\u201d. Yet, once again, he has put a massive target on himself in doing so. In fact, he may be wishing he hadn\u2019t burned bridges with the Hurt Syndicate when he did! Be it wrath, disdain, or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5361,"featured_media":151230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,2,6,2192],"tags":[2161,1493,386,4909,2546],"class_list":["post-151184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-featured","category-north-america","category-wrestling","tag-brody-king","tag-hangman-page","tag-kenny-omega","tag-konosuke-takeshita","tag-mjf"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151231,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151184\/revisions\/151231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}