Before we know it, a certain group in All Elite Wrestling may soon add to its ranks.
For a while now, MJF has tried to get in with Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle. Last month on Dynamite, he claimed that he had to join a group or stable in order to get a fair shake within the company.
Since then, he has done whatever he can to get himself in Le Champion’s good graces. This included getting the group custom jackets, throwing every compliment in the book at Jericho, and taking part in last week’s wildly popular Le Dinner Debonair. Tonight, The Inner Circle is even holding a town hall to get a consensus on whether he should join.
But this goes back even further than last month; MJF and Jericho took part in a heated conversation on the November 13, 2019 episode of Dynamite. In it, the two couldn’t decide if MJF wanted to join or if Jericho wanted him to join.
So, all of this begs the question: Is MJF joining The Inner Circle a good or bad idea?
Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea. For starters, The Inner Circle runs the risk of becoming too big for its own good. They already have Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz. If MJF were to join, most likely with Wardlow in tow, that would bring the group up to seven members.
That could get chaotic quickly, especially during in-ring promos with everyone accounted for. Sure, they could all be a part of different storylines, but it could still prove difficult trying to keep track of everyone.
It could also push certain members into the background. Let’s say MJF and Jericho are in a big storyline. Unless the rest of the group is a part of it or their own storyline, no one is really going to care about them. I could easily see it becoming “The MJF and Jericho Show”, and oh yeah, the other guys are there too.
Additionally, who’s to say him joining would work out for The Inner Circle? It’s no secret that MJF thinks very highly of himself, as does Jericho. These two have already butt heads several times in the past, and it surely wouldn’t change if they worked together. Their egos would become a huge problem, and the group would implode as a result.
If those two weren’t the catalysts for The Inner Circle’s demise, one of the other members could easily fit the bill. Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz have already voiced their displeasure over MJF possibly joining them, while Jericho has attempted to smooth things over. Tensions could certainly boil over and cause them to turn on their former leader.
Instead of The Inner Circle and MJF joining forces, why not have them go against each other? Both MJF and Jericho are two of the top heels in AEW, so have them battle over who really is the best.
They’ve already shown how well they can work together outside the ring, especially last week. So, it’s not a stretch to believe they can create that same kind of magic inside the ring as well.
Jericho can tell MJF that he isn’t welcome in The Inner Circle, much to the latter’s displeasure. In return, he can try and show them what they were missing. He and Wardlow would do whatever they could to exact revenge on the group. After possibly weeks of torment, Jericho finally snaps and challenges him to a match.
MJF, being MJF, decides to raise the stakes just a little bit more. Their match—most likely taking place at a pay-per-view—wouldn’t be just any normal match. Oh no, whoever wins would take control of The Inner Circle.
Nothing really changes if Jericho wins, of course, and they get rid of MJF for good. But if MJF wins, he would make the group’s life a living hell for not accepting him. Le Champion would have to fall in line and deal with it, that is until he and the others stage a mutiny.
For now, we’ll have to tune into Dynamite to see what happens next. With Full Gear right around the corner, some big development will undoubtedly occur either tonight or next week.
But one thing’s for certain: whatever MJF and Jericho end up doing, it’s sure to entertain the masses.
