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Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) had a decision to make going into “Dynamite.” Will he put his hair on the line in a match for Darby Allin’s All Elite Wrestling (AEW) World Championship at Double or Nothing?
It seemed to be the only way MJF was going to get a title shot immediately. Allin said previously that MJF would never get a title shot again if he didn’t agree to the stipulation for the match. MFJ walked to the ring on Wednesday night as chants of “bald” filling the arena.
“I’m happy for you. I hope you had fun holding my AEW World Championship, I really do,” MJF said while contemplating signing the contract for the match. “Deep down, there’s a part of me, and I’m talking about the size of a man’s penis from North Carolina small, small, small part that feels bad for you because you’re never gonna hold this again. I mean, you’ve got about as good of a shot at holding this world title as ‘Hangman’ Adam Page does again.
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AEW Champion MJF visits SiriusXM on Radio Row at Super Bowl LX in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
“Guys like you, Darby, you’re a dime a dozen – here today, gone tomorrow. Stuntmen who burn the candle at both ends. In this life, people like all of you, you like to pretend that life is about making friends and family and your children. The only thing that matters in this life is your legacy. And your legacy will be that of a kid who had his 15 minutes of fame. They’ll pretend like you made some sort of impact but the fact of the matter is you haven’t, bud.”
MJF stressed that Allin was just “lucky” and fans will know he was “too reckless and stupid” to stay on top. He vowed to become a three-time world champion at the age of 30.
Allin said he didn’t care about legacy. He said he will make MJF as “bald-headed b—h.”
MJF appeared to sign the contract and hit a few cheap shots on Allin. He hit him with the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Allin squared off against Konosuke Takeshita in his latest title defense on “Dynamite.” Takeshita gave Allin all that he could handle, including a bridging German suplex from the top rope. Allin, showing his guts, kept his pursuit of glory.
Takeshita left Allin with a bloodied mouth. But no matter the brutality, Allin was able to withstand it all. Takeshita was able to break the Scorpion Death Lock and hit him with two Coffin Drops immediately afterward.
Allin already has his next challenger lined up.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey called out the winner of the AEW World Championship match earlier in the night and it appeared he’s the next person to take on Allin.
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament fields revealed
Willow Nightingale and Momo Watanabe compete during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Wrestle Dynasty event at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 5, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
The participants for the 2026 Owen Hart Foundation Men’s and Women’s Tournaments were unveiled during the night.
The men’s tournament featured Samoa Joe vs. Will Ospreay and Mark Davis vs. Jack Perry on the left side of the bracket. On the right side, Swerve Strickland will take on Bandido and Claudio Castagnoli will take on Brody King. The Joe-Ospreay and Strickland-Bandido matches will take place at Double or Nothing.
The women’s tournament saw Persephone vs. Hazuki and Willow Nightingale and Alex Windsor on the left side of the bracket and Mina Shirikawa vs. Athena and Skye Blue vs. Saree on the right side. Nightingale and Windsor will square off at Double or Nothing.
The finals for the men’s and women’s tournaments will take place at Forbidden Door on June 28. The winners of each tournament earn a shot at the AEW World Championship and the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In on Aug. 30.
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Will Ospreay returns to the AEW ring
Will Ospreay competes in the ring during AEW Dynamite at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Oct. 2, 2024. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
“Dynamite” featured another segment involving Will Ospreay training with the Death Riders as the faction looked to turn him from a lovable wrestling machine into an assault weapon. Ospreay was cleared for his match against Ace Austin – his first time in an AEW ring since doctors stopped his match against Mark Davis on April 22.
Ospreay was seen bridging on a mat as Jon Moxley gave him tips on a headlock while working with Yuta Wheeler. Moxley imparted some wisdom onto Ospreay as the two appeared to be on the top of a parking garage training, recalling when things were so simple in pro wrestling before the weight of the world bore down on his shoulders.
“Nothing is different. Nothing has changed. All of those things are still gonna be there but you can still fly,” Moxley said. “You’re just more dangerous. You’re a bird of prey. So tonight when you go out there, don’t go out there to protect anything – not your neck, not your image, not your reputation, not everything you built in your career. Don’t go out there to protect something. Go out there to give something.”
However deep Moxley’s earworm is on Ospreay will be determined over the next few weeks. He beat Ace Austin on Wednesday via submission and will go into the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament against Samoa Joe.
Joe was set to unleash Anthony Bowens and Katsuyori Shibata on Ospreay but the Death Riders came out to swarm The Opps before any more violence could take place.
Brian Cage returns
AEW star Brian Cage had missed 14 months with an injury but reappeared on “Dynamite” to answer Kevin Knight’s open challenge for the TNT Championship.
Sideline reporter Renee Paquette described Cage as being, “somehow, more jacked, more locked in,” than ever before. He last appeared on AEW TV in March 2025 in a six-man tag team match with Konosuke Takeshita and Lance Archer as they defeated Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs and Rocky Romero.
Cage was the Ring of Honor TV champion for a few months in 2024 and received an opportunity to challenge Ospreay for the AEW International Championship.
Knight did go on to get the win over Cage.
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“Dynamite” match results
- Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Orange Cassidy, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson def. Clark Connors, Tomasso Ciampa, Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood and David Finlay in a 10-man tag team match.
- “Speedball” Mike Bailey def. Westbrook.
- Kevin Knight def. Brian Cage to retain the TNT Championship.
- Will Ospreay def. Ace Austin.
- Alex Windsor, Jamie Hayer and Hikaru Shida def. Thekla, Skye Blue and Julia Hart via DQ.