There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Samoa Joe, Adam Cole, and even MJF – on a one-day extras contract – were members of WWE's developmental territory, NXT. Despite the fact that their paths never crossed in a black and gold ring, though Joe and MJF did for a few moments on the way to it in the lead-up to NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II, the commitment Paul “Triple H” Levesque put into building up the next generation of professional wrestling is evident in all three performers, both in terms of actual development and a definite desire to prove the promotion wrong after failing to see the sort of star power they saw in themselves.

While this shouldn't come as anything new to fans of professional wrestling, as the mass exodus of NXT talent from WWE was one of the defining decisions of Nick Khan during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact was put into focus once more at AEW All Out in Chicago, when MJF, fresh off of a Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship victory with his Better Than You, Bay Bay partner Cole over the Dark Order, was pushed by Joe once more and had to be pulled apart by a crowd of security guards before the Ring of Honor Television Champion's match with Shane Taylor.

Taking to Twitter after the impromptu brawl, MJF let it be known that he took Joe's push as an act of war, and he plans to get back at the 24-time champion in the ring in the not-too-distant future.

“I'm not the kid you shoved in Brooklyn, motherf**ker. Game on.”

With MJF next scheduled to wrestle at Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens, later this month, albeit with the conditions of the contest still very much up in the air, it's entirely possible the AEW World Champion will get his wish and his match against the “Samoan Submission Machine” later this month mere miles away from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn where the seeds of this feud were sewn.

Adam Cole comes to the defense of MJF after a very eventful All Out.

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Taking to social media in a more official digital exclusive segment for AEW after All Out, Adam Cole gave some major props to MJF, who he believes is the best professional wrestler in the world despite how Samoa Joe may have treated him after their match.

“We did it, we did it; we are not a flash in the pan. We are not a fluke. Better Than You, Bay Bay is proving once again why we are of the best tag teams, not just in AEW, not just in Ring of Honor, but on the planet, on the planet. One of the reasons we're one of the best teams is because we care for each other. Honest to god, right now I'm a little concerned about Max. I've never seen a fear in his eye like I saw tonight. I'm concerned for his health, I'm concerned for his neck. But Max once again proved why he is one of the best pro wrestlers on the planet. As far as I'm concerned, he is because he's the AEW World Champion. Max fought through. I fought through in a two-on-one situation against Dark Order, a very, very good tag team. A d*mn good tag team, at best. And we proved, I proved, Max proved that we can't be stopped,” Adam Cole said.

“Max gets a little ahead of himself sometimes. As we were on our way to go check on the doctor, to go get Max checked out, Samoa Joe decides to make a statement. Samoa Joe decides to push Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Of course, Max can't control himself. Max, you are one of the best pro wrestlers in the world and sometimes, it's so important that a guy like me is there to remind you, sometimes, you gotta play it smart. Sometimes, you gotta play things a little safe. Max will be back to 100% in no time, I can promise you that. I'm excited, I'm elated to be one-half of the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions. But right now, right now I'm concerned for my friend, so I appreciate your time, but I'm gonna go check on my best friend.”

Is AEW going to lean all the way into this feud to make something special for the fine folks in New York City later this month? More likely than not, yes, but one thing Samoa Joe won't have is Cole in his corner, which could make all of the difference when the story of the match is written in the annals of professional wrestling history.