Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been absent from AEW programming since early September. The self-proclaimed generational talent picked up a sneaky win over rival Daniel Garcia at AEW All Out, resulting in Garcia battering him after the bell. Garcia’s attack on MJF culminated with a top rope tombstone piledriver, a maneuver significant enough to send MJF out of the arena on a stretcher. This was AEW’s way of writing MJF off of television in order to cooperate with his filming schedule, as he was set to shoot scenes for Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2. MJF’s role in the Adam Sandler sequel is reportedly bigger than just a cameo, as he was present on set for roughly one month.
The Devil’s AEW sabbatical won’t last much longer.
As reported by Fightful Select, Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been in production on Happy Gilmore 2 throughout September and is expected to be back on AEW programming “sooner than later.” There is no specified date for his return.
Videos recently surfaced of MJF filming Happy Gilmore 2, as he walked down a set of stairs alongside titular star Adam Sandler.
MJF had only been back on AEW programming for about four months prior to his recent leave of absence. He made his first appearance of 2024 at AEW Double or Nothing in May, returning as a babyface and attacking former friend turned foe Adam Cole. He then took to the microphone to address his “obvious” contract status, confirming that AEW had won the “bidding war of 2024” and he would remain #AllElite for years to come.
It’s worth noting that MJF’s current adversary, Daniel Garcia, popped up on AEW Dynamite this past Wednesday to announce that he has also re-signed with the company. Garcia had also been absent from AEW TV since AEW All Out. AEW had been holding off on using Garcia because the company did not want to invest weekly television time into him and his storylines if he was planning on leaving when his contract expires. Reports even added that Garcia would have beat MJF at AEW All Out if he had committed to a long-term AEW contract ahead of that pay-per-view. Now that Garcia is in AEW for the long haul, look for his and MJF’s feud to pick back up again shortly.
“I really like Daniel Garcia and I completely understand why he wanted to take some time before making a really important decision in his life and career,” AEW President Tony Khan said when asked about re-signing Garcia. “When Danny came in, he was immediately in big positions wrestling our top stars on television. That showed the confidence I had in him and AEW had in Danny from the very beginning. I was thrilled to extend Danny’s contract and have Danny stay in AEW for years to come.”
As for when MJF vs. Garcia could resume, expect that rivalry to pick up steam heading into AEW Full Gear. The November-based pay-per-view is one of AEW’s original four events and is taking place in arguably MJF’s extended tri-state area home of Newark, New Jersey. Beyond that, MJF has a storied past at both AEW Full Gear and the Prudential Center itself, as he captured his first AEW World Championship at that event and in that arena in November 2022. MJF went on to reign with the AEW World Title for 406 days, a company record.
Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on MJF’s AEW return.
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