"Former World Champion? Unexpected heel turn? 5 rumored AEW stars who are surely NOT 'The Devil'
The Devil character in AEW has generated a lot of buzz over the past few weeks, and at the time of writing, no one knows who it is. There has been rampant speculation over the figure's identity, with possible candidates ranging from possible to downright outrageous.
MJF was the man to introduce the devil persona at All Out 2022 when he won the Casino Ladder Match. He would then continue to wear it for his special entrances as he calls his fans 'devil worshippers,' and believes that 'no one is on the level of the devil.'
But since All In back in August, someone has robbed MJF's mask, hired a group of henchmen, and attacked multiple members of the AEW roster. There have been some wild suggestions as to who it could be, and despite some rumors, here are five AEW stars who surely aren't 'The Devil.'
#5. MJF
Now this may sound strange considering that MJF is the one being targeted by The Devil, but there are a few people out there who believe that the character is in fact the 'dark side' of the AEW World Champion.
Fans have noticed that MJF has never been in the same shot as the man with the mask, with some suggesting that the segments are actually pre-recorded. If so, it would make sense why Jay White was the first one attacked and why The Acclaimed were targeted on November 8th; Max simply doesn't like them. It's certainly a stretch, but given MJF's track record, he is capable of anything.
#4. Wardlow
At this point, it seems as if the former TNT Champion is the only person who doesn't trust Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Wardlow was on the receiving end of some of Max's darkest tactics, and it would not be too far-fetched to see 'Mr. Mayhem' as the masked man.
The problem is Wardlow is a big guy, a very big guy, far too big to fit the frame of The Devil character that we've seen on TV recently. His motive to get back at MJF makes all the sense in the world, but from a physical standpoint, it's hard to imagine.
#3. Roderick Strong
When he's not promoting 'Neck Strong' messages and rolling around in a wheelchair, Roderick Strong is trying his best to keep in contact with his best friend Adam Cole. However, Adam Cole is also MJF's best friend, his only friend, the one man in AEW he actually trusts, and Max took him away from Roddy.
Now it's fair to say that Roderick isn't confined to his wheelchair, we saw that on a recent episode of Collision, so it is possible that he is attacking people in close proximity to MJF to intimidate the AEW World Champion. But the one thing that lands him on this list is he wouldn't want to upset his best friend in the world Adam Cole... or would he?
#2. CM Punk
The man literally got fired from the company two months ago, and yet there are so many things to suggest that the former AEW World Champion is the man tormenting MJF. After all, Punk is the man who took the quote, 'the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist' from The Usual Suspects movie and brought it to wrestling.
However, he literally got fired. Unemployed. Without a place to work. He's not part of the company. But combine all of the recent references to the Straight Edge Superstar with the lengthy history Punk and MJF have between each other, it's certainly plausible, though unlikely.
#1. AEW President Tony Khan
What is the one story that has remained as a constant presence during MJF's world title reign? The Bidding War of 2024. Maxwell Jacob Friedman's contract is up at the end of the year, and who is the one person he could possibly feud with in his contract negotiations? Tony Khan.
Now this will probably not happen, in fact, Tony has remained more of a backstage figure than an on-screen character since AEW Dynamite debuted in 2019. But keeping MJF as champion by attacking Jay White, using that as leverage to keep him in the company by giving him everything he wants, only for that to be the figurative noose around Max's neck in 2024, would be a bold new direction in storytelling for AEW.
Who do you think The Devil is? Let us know in the comments section below!