Folks, wrestling is all about timing, contracts, and sometimes, a little behind-the-scenes drama that even the best soap operas can’t rival. Case in point: AEW All Out’s main event finish. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) walked out victorious over Daniel Garcia, but according to some juicy reports, this wasn’t the original plan. That’s right, folks—Garcia was supposed to get the win. Clean as a whistle. But contract negotiations turned the tide in favor of MJF.
According to WrestlePurists’ Ibou (via X, the artist formerly known as Twitter), the original playbook had Garcia defeating MJF in the middle of the ring, potentially launching Garcia into wrestling stardom. But here’s the kicker: Garcia’s AEW contract is about to expire this fall, and while AEW thinks he’s sticking around, they haven’t exactly gotten him to sign on the dotted line yet. As a result, the company did what any smart promoter would do—they kept the W in MJF’s column just in case.
But don’t get it twisted, folks. While Garcia didn’t officially win, he still managed to shine. Post-match, as MJF was lining up for his patented sneak attack, Garcia dodged it like a pro, then gave MJF a not-so-gentle low blow that had the crowd wincing. And just to make sure we all remembered his name, Garcia hit MJF with a piledriver off the second rope, rattling the champ’s brain and probably leaving him a little shorter. If that wasn’t enough, Garcia even mocked MJF’s neck routine, sending the message: “This isn’t over.”
Now, this could also be a way to write MJF off TV, as Ibou mentioned that MJF is headed off to film a movie. Who knows how long he’ll be away, but one thing’s for sure: Daniel Garcia just staked his claim on the AEW stage, and MJF is likely packing his bags for Hollywood with a sore neck and an ego that might be a little bruised.
Let’s not forget, folks—MJF also lost his AEW American Championship (recently switched back to the International Championship) to Will Ospreay two weeks before All Out, thanks in no small part to a certain returning Daniel Garcia. The plot thickens!