Samoa Joe unleashed his brand of brutalization like only he can, punishing MJF with everything from a hard lariat to a Death Valley Driver onto the outside edge of the ring, a uranage through a table, Coquina Clutch and Muscle Buster.
But whatever devastation the rugged contender dished out, the champion kept kicking. Eventually, MJF got an assist from Adam Cole, who threw him a thin chain, which the champ used to choke Joe out — as promised — and retain the AEW World Championship in the main event of AEW Dynamite Grand Slam 2023 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York.
The hard-fought match ended with Joe extending his hand to MJF as a sign of respect to end their explosive match.
Here's how the rest of AEW Dynamite Grand Slam 2023 went.