By @ConCryptid
So this past week on AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite we saw The Inner Circle agree to cement themselves as a Faction instead of break up. Chris Jericho explained that he was embarrassed by their childish arguing last week & decided that the group had an ultimatum; Stay together as a group on the same page & be the most dominant faction in Pro Wrestling or split up.
Jericho said that everyone was pissed off & that this wasn’t his vision for the group. It wasn’t what he wanted when he brought in MJF or Wardlow. Sammy & Ortiz don’t trust MJF, Wardlow & Hager don’t trust each other & Santana was so mad he didn’t even show up to Dynamite this week!
So then MJF took control of the microphone & addressed the Internet rumors that he was trying to split the Inner Circle up, he flat out denied it saying he asked to join The Inner Circle because he wanted to be a part of the most dominant faction in all of Pro Wrestling & here’s the thing, I believe him.
Ortiz then interrupted & said Wardlow was cool & should never change & that MJF is not cool but is growing on him “like a fungus”, but still growing on him.
So Ortiz then appealed to Sammy, telling him he gets to choose if he plays the hand he is dealt & said that he needs to shake MJF’s hand to move forward because together they are the winning hand. He told Sammy “You’re better than him, you know it.”
Sammy was hesitant but told Jericho he trusts him with anything after all he has done for him & so he decided he would shake MJF’s hand but on one condition. Sammy then promised to leave the group if “one more thing” were to occur from MJF. Which is near certain to be foreshadowing future events. But for now, whilst the cement is setting on the Inner Circle’s decision, the tower they’re building is not structurally sound.
Here is how I feel it’s gonna go…
So, Jericho is the leader & Sammy is his chosen one. He brought him to AEW, took him under his wing & is committed to making Sammy a star. He is arguably the closest member of the group to Jericho, even likening him to a father figure. But I feel like his position of favor with the former AEW World Champion was being regarded with the envious eyes of Mr. Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
That’s why I believed MJF when he said he didn’t want to split the group up. Because he doesn’t. What would he gain from doing that? Nothing except an accolade of being the one to break up a group. Nah. He doesn’t want that. He is jealous & wants Sammy’s place in the group. He wants to be Jericho’s golden boy.
Since he decided to join, he has singled Sammy out. First by not getting him a jacket to make Sammy lose his cool in front of his Stable Mates but MJF made it appear to be a genuine accident, then it arrived & it was too big, not only making Sammy upset & appear ungrateful but also making him look ridiculous & embarrassing him. But on a more manipulative note, MJF was also making Sammy look like he didn’t fit in with the group on a subconscious level.
Then it was always little things that only Sammy would take issue with. Personal things to make Sammy appear like he was the one with the issue, not MJF. Like the tickets & the towel. MJF is slowly, but surely unraveling Sammy Guevarra.
Now I feel like, after their agreement, handshake & Sammy’s conditions on remaining in the Inner Circle, the group will continue to thrive for a while. But I also believe Jericho is going to decide to have MJF & Sammy start teaming & despite their difference outside the ring, I feel like they will be a surprisingly great team! MJF is the super Heel snake in the grass & his partner, Sammy who would be the Babyface who sees through MJF and doesn’t agree with his ways. They could even win the tag titles to further this feeling of strong bond within the Inner Circle.
But eventually, that “one more thing” will happen. It could be that MJF screws Sammy in a way that could be easily explained away as an accident, but, regardless, this blunder causes Sammy to lose the Tag Championships for the Inner Circle. Sammy would then blame MJF & MJF would blame Sammy & point out all of his flaws & bad choices whilst doing so. The argument would end with Jericho being faced with his ultimatum. He will have to choose. Either Sammy or MJF.
MJF, the man in who Jericho sees so much of himself. The charisma, the singing, the savage promos, the submission finisher & even the scarf if you wanna go there. Or Sammy, Jericho’s boy, the one who was handpicked by Jericho to be his second, to learn under his tutelage & take AEW into the future, the kid who sees him as a Father.
Jericho will lean both ways, calling into question everything he has seen from both members of his Inner Circle. Even asking Proud & Powerful & Hager what they think & maybe even ask Wardlow when he is alone what he thinks.
It will be a difficult few weeks for the leader of the Inner Circle. This ultimatum would be very interesting as a viewer & big fan of the Inner Circle because if Jericho goes with Sammy, who at this stage would be a definite babyface, then Inner Circle will be seen as a Babyface stable who stand by their loyalties, but if they savagely turn on Sammy & side with MJF, then they’re going to be seen as the vilest, backstabbing bastards in North American Pro Wrestling if this is done right.
But no matter how this goes, the story is compelling & I’m having a lot of fun watching it unfold. This is expert-level story telling.
Thanks for reading.
Be sure to let me know your predictions & thoughts on this!
