It took me a while to put this one together in my head before I put it down here. Blame the reality that is this era of humanity. As well, January was a blur for me. More on that in a future post.
“There’s been a lot going on.” Stop me if you’ve heard that one before. Like 2025, the beginning of 2026 seems to be one horror after another. We all need a moment every now and then for some disconnection.
If you’re anything like me, pro wrestling has been an outlet. A two-hour stretch every week where I can let go, take a deep breathe, and forget (mostly) about the daily reminders that humanity can really suck.
For me, pro wrestling serves as a reminder of the exact opposite. Specifically, All Elite Wrestling has done nothing but allow their wrestlers and fans to be open and vocal about the issues most important to them. Unfortunately, this is not common practice among pro wrestling promotions.
If you haven’t been watching wrestling and are somehow unaware of what I mean by “the issues”, welcome to the party. It’s seen better days.
AEW recently held an episode of Dynamite in Las Vegas. The main event was an Eliminator match between AEW Men’s World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) and one of the many men vying for the title at the moment, Brody King.
The match itself was not notable aside from the fact that King won and earned a title shot this Saturday at Grand Slam in Australia. It was what happened in the moments right before referee Bryce Remsburg begun the match. Seemingly out of nowhere (definitely somewhere in the crowd), a resounding and emphatic “F#%$ ICE!” rang out and repeated multiple times. Props to Remsburg for allowing the moment to breathe. Like everyone alive in 2026, that moment needed a deep breath.
What was even more notable about the moment was MJF’s reaction towards the camera as the chant filled the venue. For those unfamiliar, this is a character that embodies everything people are supposed to dislike about a pro wrestler.
He’s macho (lower case, don’t sue me), he’s arrogant, he’s got a big mouth and doesn’t know when to shut up. But in that moment, as the crowd made their feelings about Immigration and Customs Enforcement well-known, Friedman’s eyes spoke so much louder than his words ever could.
If you’ve ever seen The Office, or any show/film with a similar documentary-style, you’ll know the look. Where a character reacts to the situation by breaking the fourth wall and staring into the camera. When done right - as is often the case in The Office - it only adds to the lasting impression of the moment.
Of course, The Office was a scripted television show. The moment before the Dynamite main event was anything but.
I won’t link the moment here but do check it out on YouTube or whichever social media you prefer to doomscroll.
For me, the moment would still have been impactful if it was anyone else looking at the camera. But MJF, the wrestler that AEW fans are supposed to love to hate and hate to love, was the one breaking the fourth wall. His eyes said “People in power, do you hear this? I might be the bad guy, but not so much in this moment.”
It wrapped up the moment in a way no profound words could. Does anything else really need to be said? Not when a simple look can convey so much more.
If you haven’t been watching All Elite Wrestling and are looking for a weekly outlet, I’d suggest you give Dynamite (Wednesdays) and Collision (Saturdays) a real chance.
