Maxwell Jacob Friedman has brought his long-running disdain for New Japan Pro-Wrestling directly to the company’s stage, challenging 2026 G1 Climax winner Ryohei Oiwa during the opening night of the Road to King of Pro Wrestling tour at Korakuen Hall.
In a video message shown to the Korakuen audience, MJF targeted both Oiwa and NJPW as a whole. The AEW star has spent years dismissing New Japan, repeatedly arguing that it is not a legitimate major promotion and deriding its place within the wrestling industry. This time, though, he paired the insults with a concrete challenge for one of the company’s leading young stars.
MJF called NJPW a second-rate operation and mocked the promotion for the departures of numerous prominent talents over recent years. Yet even while continuing that familiar line of attack, he acknowledged Oiwa as one of the best wrestlers presently representing the company.
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That acknowledgement came with an unmistakable threat. MJF said that defeating Oiwa would move him one step nearer to shutting the Forbidden Door for good, framing the potential bout as proof that all of his criticism of NJPW has been justified.
For more background on this topic, read Tetsuya Naito Says He Has ‘Absolutely No Lingering Feelings’ Toward NJPW Ahead Of OZAWA Title Defense.
MJF Raises the Stakes With the ‘Triple B’
The challenge was not simply a matter of pride. MJF told Oiwa that he would put his cherished “Triple B” on the line, maintaining that he remains the true AEW World Champion.
In MJF’s view, the championship currently held by Will Ospreay is not legitimate. He referred to Ospreay’s title as a phony belt while presenting his own “Triple B” as the actual AEW World Championship. The declaration adds another layer to an already heated challenge, with MJF using the championship he considers his property as the centerpiece of his offer to Oiwa.
The exact date and event for an MJF-Oiwa match were not confirmed in the video message. What is clear is that MJF has publicly placed a major incentive before the G1 winner while also attempting to turn the bout into a referendum on New Japan’s standing in the broader wrestling landscape.
For Oiwa, the proposed match would represent an opportunity to answer one of wrestling’s most outspoken antagonists in the ring. It would also give “The Grip” a potential route to the championship MJF insists is the real prize at the top of AEW, even as Ospreay is recognized as the current AEW World Champion.
A Challenge Built Around the Headlock
MJF did not limit his message to championship claims and promotional insults. He also made the confrontation deeply personal in wrestling terms, asking Oiwa who the true master of the headlock is.
The question plays directly into Oiwa’s identity. “The Grip” has become closely associated with his physical, grappling-based style, while MJF has long used the Headlock Takeover as a source of both humor and confidence. MJF’s version of the challenge was blunt: he believes he is the superior headlock specialist and intends to prove it by beating Oiwa with a Headlock Takeover.
MJF’s message to Oiwa centered on a simple claim: he is the real master of the Headlock, and he intends to demonstrate it against NJPW’s G1 Climax winner.
It is an especially pointed choice of words considering Oiwa’s rise. The young NJPW standout has made his name through intensity, control, and a style built around imposing his will on opponents. MJF, meanwhile, is attempting to reduce that threat to a challenge he believes he can win with one of the most recognizable moves in his own repertoire.
The contrast gives the rivalry a distinctive hook beyond the titles and inter-promotional rhetoric. Oiwa’s reputation as “The Grip” is rooted in his ability to trap opponents and dictate the pace. MJF’s Headlock Takeover boasts have often been part of his broader insistence that he can outthink, outlast, and embarrass anyone placed across from him.
Should the two men meet, that clash of styles and personalities will sit at the center of the match. MJF is presenting the takeover as an insult waiting to happen. Oiwa has every reason to treat it as a challenge to the very foundation of his game.
The Rivalry Began After the G1 Climax Final
The public issue between MJF and Oiwa began shortly after Oiwa’s defining triumph in August. Oiwa defeated Yuya Uemura in the G1 Climax final, a match that drew widespread acclaim. While many observers celebrated Oiwa’s tournament victory, MJF was notably not among them.
The self-proclaimed “Salt of the Earth,” described as the “current” AEW World Champion in the context of his own claims, used social media to bait Oiwa into an exchange. Their back-and-forth quickly developed from online provocation into a shared insistence that they should fight, wherever a company is willing to make the match happen.
That exchange was significant because it created a direct bridge between MJF’s broad criticism of NJPW and a specific wrestler capable of answering him. For years, MJF’s attacks on New Japan have largely been rhetorical. By singling out Oiwa following the G1 Climax, he has now attached those words to a challenge involving one of the company’s most important emerging main-event figures.
Oiwa’s G1 victory also makes him a particularly fitting opponent for MJF’s latest attempt to demean NJPW. The tournament is among the promotion’s most demanding annual tests, and winning it places Oiwa in a position of considerable momentum. MJF is not calling out an unproven name; he is targeting the wrestler who prevailed in the G1 field and earned a major championship opportunity as a result.
At the same time, MJF’s framing ensures that the proposed contest is larger than a personal grudge. He has explicitly tied his desired victory to his campaign against the Forbidden Door concept. By saying that beating Oiwa would help him lock the door forever, MJF has painted himself as an opponent not just of one NJPW wrestler, but of the exchange and cooperation that make cross-promotional encounters possible.
Oiwa’s Immediate Focus Is Yota Tsuji
Despite MJF’s attention-grabbing challenge, Oiwa has a far more immediate priority. On October 17, at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2026, Oiwa will challenge Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
That title match is the direct reward for Oiwa’s G1 Climax success and stands as the biggest near-term assignment of his career. Tsuji enters the bout as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, while Oiwa arrives with the momentum of having defeated Uemura in the G1 final. The championship stakes ensure that any response to MJF will likely take a back seat until Oiwa’s business with Tsuji is resolved.
MJF’s timing, however, is no accident. By putting his message in front of a Korakuen Hall crowd during the Road to King of Pro Wrestling tour, he has inserted himself into the conversation surrounding Oiwa at a pivotal moment. Oiwa is preparing for an IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge, and MJF has chosen that period to question both his ability and the credibility of the company Oiwa represents.
There is also an obvious strategic element to MJF’s approach. A victory over a reigning or newly crowned IWGP Heavyweight Champion would give his anti-NJPW campaign an even louder platform. Conversely, if Oiwa were to emerge from King of Pro Wrestling with the championship and later face MJF, the contest would carry the added weight of a champion defending NJPW’s honor against an AEW star claiming possession of that promotion’s real world title.
None of those outcomes are guaranteed. The only confirmed championship match on Oiwa’s immediate schedule is his October 17 meeting with Tsuji. But MJF’s challenge has established a clear potential next chapter once King of Pro Wrestling is complete.
An Inter-Promotional Collision Now Looms
MJF has made a career out of using provocation as a weapon, and his latest message follows that pattern. He insulted NJPW, questioned its ability to retain top talent, dismissed the championship held by Ospreay, and challenged the company’s G1 winner in the same breath. It was calculated to anger a New Japan audience and force Oiwa into a response.
Oiwa, meanwhile, is heading into the most important match of his current run. The G1 Climax winner has already proven he can succeed under tournament pressure. His upcoming challenge of Tsuji will determine whether that success leads to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
After that, MJF’s offer will remain waiting. The “Triple B,” as MJF calls it, has been placed at the center of a possible showdown. The Headlock Takeover has been presented as a point of pride. And the broader argument over the Forbidden Door has been transformed into a potential in-ring confrontation.
For now, MJF has thrown down the gauntlet, and Oiwa has a world title challenge to navigate first. If their paths do cross, the match will carry implications well beyond who can apply the better headlock. It will pit MJF’s contempt for NJPW against the wrestler who has rapidly become one of its strongest standard-bearers.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.