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Last month at Dynasty 2026, MJF defended the AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega in a near-40-minute barnburner, barely managing to survive The Cleaner and leaving Vancouver with his strap. <\/p>\n
To celebrate his victory against one of the all-time greats, Maxwell Jacob Friedman announced that he would go off social media for some time. Because of this, he was unaware that Darby Allin had defeated Andrade El Idolo at Dynasty and earned a World Title shot, which he wanted to cash in on the very next episode of Dynamite.<\/p>\n
MJF walked into the Spring Breakthru edition of the Wednesday Night show still obsessed over his retention against Omega, only to find out about Darby being his next challenger and that their title match was set to kick off the show. Friedman characteristically refused to defend his belt with the excuse of being unprepared for a championship match, but the bout was merely postponed to the main event. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/template><\/p>\n Moreover, the champion was informed by Tony Khan (via Bryan Danielson)<\/a> that he would be stripped of the World Title if he refused to comply. MJF tried, as expected, to take the easiest of shortcuts, sneaking in a low-blow on Darby at the start of the match by occupying the referee with his Dynamite Diamond Ring. <\/p>\n What Friedman did not expect was that the challenger would turn the tables by delivering a retaliatory low-blow of his own behind the official’s back. Allin then flattened The Wolf of Wrestling with multiple Coffin Drops and pinned him with a headlock takeover<\/a> to become the new AEW World Champion in a huge, unanticipated upset.<\/p>\n Since then, MJF has been calling foul over the outcome of his World Title bout against Darby and wasted little time asking the latter for his rematch for the belt. Allin refused to grant him a rematch unless Max put something on the line. <\/p>\n Friedman staked his clothing, his Dynamite Diamond Ring, and even a huge bribe to persuade his fellow AEW pillar. However, Darby revealed that he had a different stipulation on his mind, agreeing to defend his World Title against MJF at Double or Nothing 2026 if Max agreed to put his hair on the line.<\/p>\n MJF has begrudgingly signed the contract for Title vs. Hair<\/a> at Double or Nothing, and All Elite Wrestling programming has noticeably played up the star’s kayfabe unwillingness and aversion to being shaved bald over the past couple of weeks. <\/p>\n This, coupled with Rush’s challenge to Darby Allin in case Allin left the PPV as champion, has led many fans to speculate that Friedman might indeed lose his match and his hair this coming Sunday.<\/p>\n Although there are many compelling reasons for AEW to book Darby retaining against MJF, let us explore three reasons why Big Hebrew should be reunited with his “Triple B” at Double or Nothing<\/a>.<\/p>\n True to his nature, Darby Allin has had a simple approach to being World Champion: defending his belt against worthy challengers on television<\/a> multiple times every week. Over the past month, the daredevil has survived several of the promotion’s toughest competitors, namely Tommaso Ciampa, Brody King, Kevin Knight, PAC, Konosuke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara, and “Speedball” Mike Bailey.<\/p>\n In just a few weeks, AEW has told an intriguing story with Darby, showing how his opponents went to great (sometimes excessive and risky) lengths to take down the World Champion, only for him to survive and ultimately emerge victorious. Taking on all comers has also taken its toll on Allin, as was evident from his passing out mid-match<\/a> during his title defense against Sammy Guevara.<\/p>\n Darby Allin spoke about his hectic schedule, noting why he wanted to defend the title so much. \u201cI feel it\u2019s always been my goal. defend that and actually do the exact opposite of what a champion on paper would do. You know, he wins it and then maybe defends it, you know, once every month at a pay-per-view, but now I\u2019m at the exact opposite. It\u2019s so fun just giving something because like I come from skateboarding background and all this stuff where it\u2019s like a lot of my traditions are that opposite of what a pro wrestler, you know, so it\u2019s like, why not just do something completely opposite?\u201d (@SportsterNews)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Workhorse title reigns like the one Darby seems to be having right now (and like the one Orange Cassidy had with the International Title before this) do not necessarily have to be long<\/em>. <\/p>\n Putting the World Title back on MJF at Double or Nothing 2026 could bring Allin’s run to a meaningful end. It would make sense for The Wolf of Wrestling to win such a high-stakes bout against a worn-out champion and also ensure that Darby’s reign never got monotonous with its booking.<\/p>\n Time and again, MJF has proven his worth as a legitimate top star in AEW. He has generated immediate interest in whichever storyline or program he is involved in, with or without any championship gold. <\/p>\n At the same time, the self-proclaimed “generational talent” is undeniably one of the most reliable performers the company has when it comes to serving the responsibilities of a World Champion. Big Hebrew has put on memorable matches, elevating the title and the division and acting as a flag-bearer for the promotion in front of the media.<\/p>\n Notably, AEW is only a few months away from its major international stadium show, All In: London 2026. The event will witness the winner of this year’s Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Cup challenging the reigning Men’s World Champion inside Wembley Stadium. <\/p>\n Considering that the tournament is seemingly being presented as his comeback story, and considering that All In will emanate from his home country, many viewers believe that Will Ospreay will be the one to win this year’s tourney after losing to Hangman Page in the finals last year.<\/p>\n#1. Darby Allin does not need a long AEW World Title run<\/h2>\n
#2. MJF might be a better candidate to walk into AEW All In: London as World Champion<\/h2>\n
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