For the longest time, Chris Jericho was the top heel in wrestling as he carried AEW (All Elite Wrestling) while everyone else found their footing and the various storylines took root and grew. Unfortunately for Jericho, MJF is the top heel in wrestling now.
Dynamite’ fuse
MJF has been a growing thorn in Cody Rhodes’ side for a while now, but last week MJF took his opportunity and exploded into the stratosphere as a heel. In what was a difficult scene to watch, he whipped Cody Rhodes nine times (Wardlow had one) with Rhodes’ own belt. It was one of the stipulations Rhodes had to meet to face MJF at AEW Revolution.
The slow, methodical way MJF went about in his endeavor was one of the more painful things to watch in recent memory. We’ve all felt the sting of a belt or other object whether by accident or bot, but every crack and red welt on Rhodes’ back sent pain shooting through us. We felt for him, we wanted him to get up and throttle MJF into an inch of his life. Especially with the final shot being on Rhodes’ Dream tattoo that’s in memory of his father, the late, great Dusty Rhodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuGZvotztqA
But he didn’t. Rhodes accepted the punishment as his friends and family came out to support him, setting up his upcoming steel cage match with Wardlow a penultimate moment before he’ll face MJF.
It was perfect. Moments like that are why we love wrestling. We want to have a reason to cheer or boo someone. We want to feel the visceral emotional impact of becoming one with the wrestlers and their characters. It’s why MJF is the top heel in wrestling.
He took the step. But first, he had to study film and listen to the older guys on how and why it should be done, and all of his out of the ring work showed brilliantly for us to enjoy.
Be coachable
Being coachable is the same as being teachable, and it one of the greatest compliments we can get. It shows we’re willing to listen and learn to improve ourselves and the world around us.
BY all accounts, MJF is this to the extreme. And it’s a trait others in AEW reportedly don’t have.
He’s happy to listen to the grizzled veterans like Arn Anderson, Dustin Rhodes, and so on. He watches film to study ring psychology (an art that’s all but extinct in a majority of wrestlers in AEW and the WWE). He can elicit a response from the crowd with a simple smile, similar to the Rock’s eyebrow raise.
In an era that more about video game style of wrestling with big moves, flips and dips, and superkicks, he’s constantly working to hone his craft and be the best wrestler he can be.
This opens up a potential showdown between him and Jericho down the road, since two top heels will need to come together at some point as a team. And when that happens, we’ll see a masterclass on how to be a heel in professional wrestling.
But we’re getting a head of ourselves. We still have to see Cody Rhodes and MJF in the ring at AEW Revolution. If they don’t for whatever reason, this would be the biggest letdown in wrestling.
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