Top AEW star confirms he paid tribute to Triple H at Double or Nothing 2024
AEW's sixth-annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view was packed with thrilling matches and segments, but perhaps none got fans talking more than the return of a former World Champion. The wrestling world couldn't stop discussing the return in the days after – especially since it paid tribute to an iconic WWE moment involving Triple H.
Record-setting former AEW World Champion MJF made his shocking comeback at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 26. The 28-year-old had been out of action for almost five months in order to heal his torn labrum, and he chose to don a leather jacket and a denim vest for his big moment.
This was an obvious callback to the legendary return of Triple H on the January 7, 2002 edition of WWE RAW. The Game had suffered a torn quad and was absent for eight months before making his comeback. He'd left a vicious heel, but when he returned, the live crowd gave him one of the loudest receptions in WWE history.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman sported the same look when he returned at Double or Nothing last month, and he addressed the choice in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated:
"The jean jacket was over what I feel is my leather jacket, but that jean jacket was certainly an homage to a return that meant something to me when I was a kid in Madison Square Garden," said Friedman. "I’m sure people can connect the dots."
MJF also name-dropped former AEW stars CM Punk and Cody Rhodes in the interview as he reminisced on his most memorable moments from the last few years.
MJF set to return to television on tonight's AEW Dynamite
All Elite Wrestling is traveling to Loveland, CO, for this week's edition of Dynamite. MJF is set to make his return to weekly TV at the Blue Arena, and he had a message for fans ahead of the show.
As many speculate on the immediate plans for the former World Champion, MJF simply advised fans to grab some popcorn:
Friedman left the AEW faithful with a cliffhanger at the end of last year after being betrayed by his best friend, Adam Cole. He briefly addressed the angle in his return at Double or Nothing, but as Cole has yet to be cleared for in-ring competition, fans will have to wait for a while longer to see the revenge plot unfold.