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MJF, Adam Cole Beat Dark Order to Retain ROH Tag Titles at AEW All Out 2023

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 4, 2023

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 21: Wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman visits the SiriusXM Studios on August 21, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Cindy Ord/Getty Images

MJF and Adam Cole defeated Dark Order's John Silver and Alex Reynolds at AEW All Out on Sunday to retain the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships.

MJF and Cole got the win after hitting a double clothesline on Reynolds.

Dark Order gained a big advantage early on after Reynolds injured MJF, who sat out for some time, forcing Cole to wrestle without his partner.

All Elite Wrestling @AEW

Alex Reynolds hit MJF with a chair in his already injured neck…<br><br>and he's not getting up.<br><br>Order <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWAllOut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWAllOut</a> on PPV right now!<br>🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv">https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv</a><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/iawFge9Cal">https://t.co/iawFge9Cal</a><a href="https://twitter.com/The_MJF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_MJF</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamColePro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamColePro</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SilverNumber1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SilverNumber1</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/YTAlexReynolds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YTAlexReynolds</a> <a href="https://t.co/MLKOLAkkcG">pic.twitter.com/MLKOLAkkcG</a>

All Elite Wrestling @AEW

The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEW</a> Medical staff is taking MJF to get checked out, leaving Adam Cole to take on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DarkOrder?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DarkOrder</a> on his own!<br><br>Order <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWAllOut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWAllOut</a> on PPV right now!<br>🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv">https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv</a><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/iawFge9Cal">https://t.co/iawFge9Cal</a><a href="https://twitter.com/The_MJF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_MJF</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamColePro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamColePro</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SilverNumber1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SilverNumber1</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/YTAlexReynolds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YTAlexReynolds</a> <a href="https://t.co/fyV324btKL">pic.twitter.com/fyV324btKL</a>

However, MJF was able to continue, swinging the momentum back to the champions.

All Elite Wrestling @AEW

MJF IS BACK!!!<br><br>Order <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWAllOut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWAllOut</a> on PPV right now!<br>🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv">https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv</a><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/iawFge9Cal">https://t.co/iawFge9Cal</a><a href="https://twitter.com/The_MJF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_MJF</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamColePro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamColePro</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SilverNumber1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SilverNumber1</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/YTAlexReynolds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YTAlexReynolds</a> <a href="https://t.co/gvY2hmuxGc">pic.twitter.com/gvY2hmuxGc</a>

In the end, MJF and Cole did enough to retain the belts, but the drama didn't end there as Samoa Joe hit MJF as he walked down to the ring for his match.

All Elite Wrestling @AEW

MJF &amp; Samoa Joe are going head to head before Joe's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ROH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ROH</a> World TV Title match!<br><br>Order <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWAllOut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWAllOut</a> on PPV right now!<br>🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv">https://t.co/fDofZ563Cv</a><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/iawFge9Cal">https://t.co/iawFge9Cal</a><a href="https://twitter.com/The_MJF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_MJF</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SamoaJoe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SamoaJoe</a> <a href="https://t.co/W4SCk5M4rD">pic.twitter.com/W4SCk5M4rD</a>

MJF and Cole were forced to team together as part of a tag team tournament with randomly drawn partners a couple of months ago, and while they were initially at odds, they eventually became close friends.

Known collectively as Better Than You Bay Bay, MJF and Cole won the tournament, although they fell to FTR in an AEW World Tag Team Championship match.

Given how well they hit it off, MJF agreed to give Cole an AEW World Championship match at All In at Wembley Stadium in London, but that wasn't the only match they were involved with on that show.

In addition to headlining All In against each other with over 80,000 fans in attendance last weekend, MJF and Cole were in the first match of the event on the Zero Hour pre-show, challenging Aussie Open for the ROH world tag team titles.

MJF and Cole won the championships with a double clothesline, eliciting a hugely positive response from the London faithful to open All In.

In the main event, MJF and Cole put their friendship to the test, and it there were many moments when it seemed like one of them would cheat and turn on the other in order to retain or win the AEW world title.

Roderick Strong even got involved and implored Cole to break the rules, but he refused, and MJF took advantage to win the match and retain the championship.

Things between MJF and Cole got heated after the match, but they ultimately hugged it out, ending All In on a feel-good note.

With MJF and Cole on the same page, a battle royal was held on Friday's Rampage to determine which team would challenge them for the ROH World Tag Team Championships at All Out.

Shockingly, Silver and Reynolds won a fairly star-studded battle royal that included teams such as The Hardys, Best Friends and Aussie Open.

There was some thought that Dark Order could pull off the upset and beat Better Than You Bay Bay if dissension creeped back into the equation for MJF and Cole, but they remained united and retained the titles.


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