Last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite saw an injured and in-pain AEW World Champion MJF delivering his latest address. The champion went out of his way to praise his upcoming AEW Worlds End opponent Samoa Joe, who he noted did not reach his potential in WWE. He also couldn’t resist pointing out that among the many big names he has beaten in his short career, CM Punk among them.
Out of nowhere, the lights in the arena went dark as a mystery group of assailants attacked Friedman. Three masked members held the champion down while a fourth and noticeably larger group member stared at him with a ball bat. Just before things escalated, Joe dragged the larger member out of the ring, protecting his Worlds End opponent, whom he wants to wrestle at 100%. The other group members fled the ring, but not before the screen went black for a prolonged period. After some flickers, four text screens flashed, reading, “In the shadows our game begins. Next week, MJF & Samoa Joe… will face the unknown in a tag match? Are you a hero, Max?”
Friedman quickly accepted the challenge despite his torn labrum, much to Joe’s chagrin.
Since the attack, speculation has run wild regarding who the members of the unknown group of Devils are. Due to their size, many fans believe that Wardlow could be the bat-wielding member of the group. Some even pointed to his hair being disheveled during his match later in the show, like he may have been taking off a mask. Wardlow has a lot of history with Friedman and could fit the bill for an attacker, but that’s far from confirmed.
Another group of disgruntled talent that has grabbed the attention of fans is Jack Perry, Dr. Britt Baker DMD, and Sammy Guevara. The three AEW talents all “liked” a post on X yesterday that was critical of Friedman. The champion penned an emotional note that ended with him saying he wanted to bring the feeling back.
“You have almost single-handily destroyed the feeling lol,” the tweet read.
While there may be backstage friction with Friedman and members of the roster, it is also possible this is a way to lay breadcrumbs that they are members of the masked group. Perry has been off AEW TV since his backstage altercation with CM Punk, for which he was suspended. Guevara has been missing from programming while he awaited the birth of his first child with Tay Melo and healed from an injury. Interestingly, Baker released another post yesterday that also fueled speculation that she is currently disgruntled.
“Tonight’s #AEWDynamite: MJF live promo time: 7 mins,” she began. “Christian Cage live promo time: 10 mins All of 2023 #AEWDynamite: Britt Baker live promo time: 0 mins”
One name we know will not be a member of the group of devils is Punk. While there has been rampant speculation he could be the man behind the mysterious angle; all speculation was put to rest when he returned to WWE at Survivor Series.
Who do you think is among the group of devils attacking Friedman? Let us know on X by tagging @WrestlingHaus