“I didn’t want the title, Max. I wanted your legacy. And now? I just gave it to a man who hates you almost as much as I do. Happy New Year… and stay tuned for the real Fight for the Fallen.”
He announces that AEW will donate 100% of his merchandise sales for the night to the Fallen Foundation. The crowd cheers, but then…
Cole reveals doctored backstage footage from October (shot in HD, grainy style) showing MJF secretly paying off Samoa Joe to “hold back” during their last title defense, implying Maxwell has been playing a double game all along. AEW Dynamite 2024 01 01 Fight For The Fallen HD...
The show opens not with pyro, but with a moment of silence. A video package highlights the “Fight for the Fallen” cause—showing first responders and survivors. As the lights rise, MJF stands in the center of the ring, not as the flamboyant "Devil," but as a battered, exhausted World Champion. He has no music. No scarf.
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ Theme: Fight for the Fallen (Raising funds for victims of domestic violence and natural disasters) “I didn’t want the title, Max
The Devil’s Due
The lights cut to deep red. “Flight of the Valkyries” hits, but it's distorted. Adam Cole appears on the stage, not in a neck brace, but in a black leather jacket with a devil mask hanging from his belt. He walks with a cane—selling the ankle injury—but his eyes are ice. I just gave it to a man who hates you almost as much as I do
The camera pans to a locker room door. MJF is sitting alone, back against the wall, watching the monitor. He smirks, pulls out a diamond ring (the one he gave Cole), and whispers: “You always were a slow learner, Adam.”