Somehow, some way, MJF escaped AEW Full Gear 2023 with the AEW World Championship in tow Saturday night.
Everyone's favorite Scum Bag overcame an injury inflicted by The Gunns on the event's pre-show to narrowly defeat Jay White in the pay-per-view main event from the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. His gutsiest title defense yet extended his streak as AEW champ to 365 days.
Although from the onset of the evening, doing so looked improbable.
After MJF and Samoa Joe defeated The Gunns to retain the ROH tag team titles on the pre-show, The Gunns beat the champ down and targeted his knee with multiple chair shots to the point that he needed to be stretchered out of the arena. That paved the way for Adam Cole to announce that he'd step in and defend MJF's world title for him against White later in the evening, despite Cole being on crutches only weeks removed from ankle surgeries.
As the main event was about to get underway, an ambulance siren went off and out emerged a limping MJF with his left leg bandaged.
The champ could hardly stand and White quickly targeted his left knee, wrenching back on it and cinching in a figure-4 leglock which triggered Cole into contemplating whether to throw in a towel to save his best friend.
White snatched Cole's ROH title and bashed MJF in the face, but the champ somehow kicked out of the pin.
Moments later, with the ref out of commission, Cole handed MJF his Dynamite diamond ring, but White intercepted it and donned the hardware himself. Just then, though, MJF uncorked a low blow on White and grabbed the ring.
He rocked The Gunns with it and punched White to get the improbable win and live another day as AEW World Champion.
Here's how the entire AEW Full Gear 2023 pay-per-view went.
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