Ryan Loco; MJF vs Kevin Knight; Fairfax, VA; AEW Dynamite; April 29, 2026
All Elite Wrestling
At Double or Nothing, MJF captured his third AEW World Championship, joining Jon Moxley as the only other wrestler to hold the title three times. But given how AEW has booked its recent world title reigns, chances are this one will be another active run at the top.
Long Island’s own defeated Darby Allin, whose reign saw him defend the championship against more than a half-dozen opponents in consecutive weeks, delivering standout performance after standout performance as he pushed himself until the wheels fell off.
On the Dynamite following Double or Nothing, AEW made it clear that several challengers are already eyeing MJF’s championship. So, who could be next in line?
3 Potential Challengers For MJF’s AEW World Championship
Rush
The most obvious challenger is Rush, who won a four-way match on Dynamite to continue his recent string of success. He has now won nine of his last 10 matches. Rush previously challenged Darby Allin for the AEW World Championship, and on this past Wednesday’s show, he turned his attention to MJF, setting up a match between the two for June 3.
Will Rush win? Probably not. AEW has done a strong job of building credible world title challengers, but most ultimately fall short when the opportunity arrives. With MJF’s reign less than a week old, it would be a major surprise to see him drop the championship so quickly.
Still, a strong showing against MJF could elevate Rush into contention for another championship, such as the TNT Title. How he performs on June 3 will be worth watching.
Mark Briscoe
Before beginning his third AEW World Championship reign, MJF lost a Tables and Tacks Match to Mark Briscoe at All Out 2025, capping off a memorable late-summer feud between the two.
So it made sense that Briscoe was the first person to step up and ask for a title shot on Dynamite. While it has been eight months since they last crossed paths, AEW’s storytelling suggests he should be among the next challengers to receive an opportunity.
Perhaps that match takes place at Forbidden Door, assuming AEW doesn’t go in a different direction involving talent from another promotion. Briscoe also enters the conversation with momentum after defeating Tommaso Ciampa in an Anything Goes Match on the May 20 episode of Dynamite.
Kenny Omega
AEW recently announced a new pay-per-view, Redemption, set for Montreal in July. While it isn’t Omega’s hometown of Winnipeg, it would still be a fitting location for one of the company’s biggest stars to challenge for championship gold in front of a Canadian crowd.
Omega failed to defeat MJF for the AEW World Championship at Dynasty and has largely remained off programming since, aside from competing in Stadium Stampede at Double or Nothing. However, AEW planted an interesting seed on Dynamite with a backstage segment involving Omega and Will Ospreay, the current favorite to win the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and earn a world title shot at All In.
The segment didn’t create tension between the two, but it did reinforce their shared goal of winning the AEW World Championship. AEW also touched on that theme during a backstage interaction between Omega and Ospreay following Dynasty.
If the company wants to pay off that story, one path would be Omega finally capturing the championship before defending it against Ospreay at Wembley Stadium. A dream match of that magnitude would fit perfectly at All In.
The first step, however, would be getting Omega back into contention for MJF’s title. AEW found a way to justify MJF receiving another opportunity against Allin, and if it wants to revisit Omega versus MJF, it will need to tell a similarly compelling story.