MJF Forces Stoppage To Retain AEW World Title

MJF Forces Stoppage To Retain AEW World TitleStory byMJF celebrates World title win over Bandido - AEW/Triller TVMax EverettThu, January 15, 2026 at 3:28 AM UTC·2 min read

MJF completed the first defense of his AEW World Championship against ROH World Champion Bandido in the main event of "AEW Dynamite: Maximum Carnage."

Bandido secured the opportunity at the title, won for the second time by MJF at Worlds End, having won the Dynamite Diamond Ring against Ricochet at "AEW Dynamite on 34th Street" after they advanced from the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal during "AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming." MJF dethroned Samoa Joe in a four-way also involving "Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland.

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The match saw Bandido come close on several occasions before suffering repeated attacks to the right arm, simultaneously neutralizing the 21-Plex finisher and softening him up for MJF's Salt of the Earth submission.

That would prove to be his ultimate downfall as well, with a roll-up exchange spurring a shift into the Salt of the Earth; Bandido struggled and looked close to making the rope break, but MJF managed to maneuver him into the middle of the ring and wrench harder. Once more, Bandido fought to reach the ropes but he never really got close, passing out in the hold and prompting the referee stoppage to end the affair.

MJF laid in the opposite corner to Bandido after the bell, taking to the microphone and praising him as a future AEW World Champion. But said it was because of that why he needed to do what came next: attacking Bandido with the belt and attempting to rip his mask off. Brody King came down the ramp to run MJF off before the mask could be removed, closing the show stood alongside his partner.

Read more: Weird Things Everyone Ignores About AEW

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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.

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