MJF is taking the AEW World Championship on the road.
After successfully defending his title against Alec Price at Limitless Rumble on January 16—becoming the first AEW World Champion to defend the belt on an independent show—details have emerged about the strategy behind the move.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Daily Update, this is part of a deliberate new direction for the champion.
“The storyline is that MJF will be defending his title on independent shows, which he claimed puts him in the calibre of touring world champions like Ric Flair, Harley Race, and Buddy Rogers,” Meltzer reported.
MJF regained the championship at Worlds End on December 27, 2025, defeating Hangman Page, Samoa Joe, and Swerve Strickland. This “touring champion” persona adds a new layer to his reign as he looks to legitimize his claim as the greatest of all time by following in the footsteps of the legends he idolizes.