MJF will be walking into 2026 as the AEW Men’s World Champion after defeating Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and Hangman Adam Page at AEW Worlds End on December 27 to begin his second reign atop of All Elite Wrestling. Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s record-breaking first reign as champion divides opinion amongst fans to this day, but everyone deserves a second chance at some point in life, so what does the immediate future look like for the “Salt of the Earth?”

One thing that we do know already is his first challenger, the current ROH Men’s World Champion Bandido, who won the Dynamite Diamond Ring on Christmas Eve to earn himself a title shot, becoming the first man besides MJF to win the ring in the process. That match will take place on the Maximum Carnage edition of “Dynamite” on January 14, so expect Friedman to cut one or two promos calling Bandido every offensive name under the sun for some easy heat before their match, which MJF will most likely win.

Assuming that MJF makes a successful first defense of his crown, what happens next? The first few months of the year for AEW are always used to build up the Revolution pay-per-view in March, which MJF will most certainly main event, but with the Grand Slam Australia event taking place on Valentine’s Day, that could be a great place to have Friedman defend the title against someone like a Kyle Fletcher, who by that point could have become disillusioned with The Don Callis Family due to how his Continental Classic campaign ended. MJF will most likely retain, but the future of AEW will be the true winner if that bout happens as MJF and Fletcher are two men who can carry AEW on their backs for the next few years.

For the men who he defeated at Worlds End, Samoa Joe might stick around in the main event scene, but the AEW World Trios Championships need some love and care so if he’s not interested in MJF anymore, don’t be surprised. As for Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page, MJF will face either of those two at Revolution unless someone like Kenny Omega decides to have one more main event run. Regardless of who he faces, expect MJF to be the king of AEW until at least All In London.

Written by Sam Palmer