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AEW Makes Major Change to AEW Full Gear Main Event
For several weeks now, the biggest match on the AEW Full Gear 2023 card has been the show’s main event: “Switchblade” Jay White challenging Maxwell Jacob Friedman for the AEW World Championship. The build to their highly anticipated bout has been a focal point of Dynamite shows, with White even stealing the title belt from MJF and carrying it to every appearance. This is the match people have been waiting for, but it now appears as though there’s a chance MJF may not be participating.
In fact, the “official” update from All Elite Wrestling is that MJF isn’t going to be part of the match. The update from AEW commentary revealed that Adam Cole, MJF’s best friend, will be taking on White for the AEW World Championship, due to an injury sustained by MJF earlier in the evening.
In the Full Gear: Zero Hour pre-show, MJF fought the Gunns to defend the ROH Tag Team Championships, with Samoa Joe stepping in for the injured Adam Cole. After MJF and Samoa Joe got the win, the Gunns attacked MJF, injuring his leg with a chair in the process. MJF was swiftly taken to an ambulance, telling best friend Adam Cole not to let anyone take his title.
While the injury is clearly part of the plan for AEW, the story itself is potentially leading to a Friedman-less main event. White was brought out early in Full Gear and it was announced MJF was too injured to compete in the championship fight. Just as White was going to be announced as the new AEW World Champion, Adam Cole entered to stop it from happening. He said that, if Max couldn’t defend the title, he would defend it in his place, despite the injury that has him on crutches.
The most likely scenario is that MJF comes back in some form or fashion. Whether that means he competes in the match or perhaps faces the winner, it would be a massive surprise not to see MJF fight at all. However, the possibility can’t be ruled out completely.
AEW Full Gear 2023 Results
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AEW World Championship: MJF (c) OR Adam Cole vs. Jay White
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AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Jon Moxley
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AEW World Tag Team Championships – Ladder Match: Ricky Starks and Big Bill (c) vs. La Facci?n Ingobernable vs. FTR vs. Kings of the Black Throne
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AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. “Timeless” Toni Storm
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AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue
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Texas Death Match: “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland
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Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho vs. Young Bucks
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Sting, Darby Allin and Adam Copeland def. Christian Cage, Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne
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Zero Hour – ROH Tag Team Championships: MJF and Samoa Joe (c) def. The Gunns
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Zero Hour – ROH World Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) def. Jay Lethal
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Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli def. Buddy Matthews
