MJF brought back a familiar gimmick to annoy the crowd during his match with Mike Bailey on the April 1, 2026, episode of AEW Dynamite at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.
MJF decided to bring back his old “American Hero” gimmick as he was wrestling in Canada against a French Canadian opponent. He used over-the-top patriotism to get loud boos from the crowd. MJF cared more about getting under fans’ skin than wrestling clean, and it worked perfectly.
MJF revives American hero gimmick on AEW Dynamite in Canada
This American Hero gimmick, which became a big part of MJF’s 2024 run, isn’t about real patriotism. It’s meant to be over-the-top and annoying on purpose. It’s meant to make MJF unlikable, especially outside the US.
Back in 2024, after returning at Double or Nothing, the AEW star even renamed the AEW International Championship as the “American Championship.” He dressed in red, white, and blue and cut arrogant promos. He mocked international wrestlers and acted like he was the only “real” American worth cheering for.
The character drew inspiration from old wrestling tropes where foreign wrestlers were portrayed as villains. But in this case, MJF flipped the idea by making the “patriot” the bad guy instead.
On AEW Dynamite, he brought that same attitude.
With Kenny Omega on commentary, MJF came into the ring. The American flag dropped from above with MJF’s face printed instead of the stars.
MJF started things off by attacking Bailey before the bell. As the match went on, he mixed wrestling with dirty tactics like hair pulls, eye rakes, and constant trash talk aimed at the Canadian crowd.
At one point, he mocked Bailey with fake martial arts poses, then immediately followed it with another cheap shot. On the other side, Bailey put in a strong performance. His athletic moves kept him in the match, and a few close calls, including his Ultima Weapon, made it seem like he might win.
But in the end, MJF shouted, “God bless America” at the crowd and finished Bailey with the Heatseeker to get the victory.
After the match, MJF kept attacking until Omega ran in to stop him.
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