MJF is still the AEW World Champion, but his title defense against RUSH on AEW Dynamite was anything but clean.
The June 3 episode kicked off with MJF putting the AEW World Championship on the line against RUSH in a No Countout Match from Richmond, Virginia. Before the match even started, MJF slapped RUSH during a backstage interview, which led to both men throwing hands before security stepped in.
Once the bell rang, the match quickly turned into a fight. RUSH went right after MJF and took the action outside the ring, where he used the barricade, a cable wire, and anything else he could get his hands on. MJF answered back by sending RUSH into a steel chair and later using an exposed turnbuckle to bust him open.
RUSH kept fighting through the blood and nearly had the match under control, but things fell apart late. His injured left arm gave out while he tried to hit another piledriver, giving MJF the opening he needed.
RUSH then missed the Bull’s Horns and crashed through part of the barricade. MJF followed up with a Tombstone on the barricade before dragging him back into the ring. From there, MJF locked in a crossface and cranked back on RUSH’s bad arm until RUSH passed out.
That was enough for MJF to retain the AEW World Championship, even though RUSH never tapped out.
The chaos did not stop after the bell either, as Mark Briscoe came down and took out MJF after the match. That made it clear MJF may still be champion, but he is not leaving this title reign without more enemies coming after him.
MJF survived RUSH, but this was far from a dominant win. RUSH looked tough, took a ton of punishment, and only lost after his injured arm became too much to overcome. AEW protected him while still keeping the title on MJF, setting up even more drama around the World Championship picture.
What did you think of the screwy finish to MJF vs. RUSH on AEW Dynamite? Did AEW make the right call by having RUSH pass out instead of tap out? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
