Where does MJF fit in today's AEW main event scene?

All Elite Wrestling has a stacked roster with some of the best performers in the world. This past week’s episode featured performers like Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, The Young Bucks, Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston, and several others. With Mercedes Mone expected to come in on March 13, that’s another top performer for the company. With so many talented performers, AEW is slowly running out of time and space to feature them all. This creates an interesting question of where MJF fits into the picture when he is set to return.

MJF hasn’t been seen since World’s End on December 30. He battled Samoa Joe and was put to sleep after nearly 18 minutes of action. Adam Cole revealed himself to be The Devil, kicking off the Undisputed Kingdom angle. The group feels like a mid-card stable at best, even with Wardlow holding a shot at the championship. The aforementioned superstars have already leaped over the Undisputed Kingdom as an attraction.

MJF’s 406-day run as AEW World Champion started strong but was met with heavy criticism toward the end of it. Pro wrestling fans were tired of his winding storylines that felt more like the sports entertainment delivery of WWE. As those complaints continued to mount AEW’s momentum slowed. It was clear that the direction the company was headed in didn’t have the same feel as its start back in 2019. Fans wanted something different and MJF as champion wasn’t quite that.

So, what does that mean for MJF? When he returns, does he jump right back into the title picture? Does his angle with the Undisputed Kingdom get top billing over the stories of Swerve Strickland, Toni Storm, Kingston, Okada, Ospreay, and others? A “yes” answer to that question would surely be met with backlash. But at the same time, Tony Khan established MJF as one of his most important superstars. He can’t become just another mid-card talent which is a common occurrence in AEW. The company must keep him hot, especially if he’s a central figure in the future.

It will be interesting to see how AEW approaches this issue. AEW has a roster packed with some of the best names in the business, and more continue to flow in. There is a limited number of hours that can be divided among those stars each week. At some point, MJF will return and the minds backstage will have to decide if he goes back to getting a huge chunk of those minutes or if more time is finally spread around like the fans want to see.