Last Saturday night, the main event of AEW's Worlds End 2025 pay-per-view featured MJF defeating Samoa Joe, "Hangman" Adam Page, and Swerve Strickland in a four-way match to become the new AEW World Champion. MJF pinned then-champion Samoa Joe to secure the victory.
According to Sean Ross Sapp in the latest edition of Fightful Select Answers, AEW had been planning MJF's title victory as early as mid-November. This indicates that the company had intentions to include him in the title match at Worlds End well in advance. Sapp also noted that although some recent AEW title reigns have been brief, it does not necessarily mean the plans for them were not developed ahead of time.
Sapp further mentioned that with Joe claiming the AEW World Title at Full Gear 2025 on November 22 by defeating "Hangman" Adam Page, it seems the company was preparing for MJF's return and title win since at least that period.
MJF made his return to AEW television during the Holiday Bash episode of Dynamite and subsequently inserted himself into the World Title match using his Casino Gauntlet contract. His victory at Worlds End 2025 represents a form of redemption after he lost to Joe at the previous Worlds End in 2023. Joe's second reign as AEW World Champion lasted only five weeks (35 days), while MJF holds the record for the longest-reigning AEW World Champion in history at 406 days.
