AEW concluded the year with its Worlds End 2023 pay-per-view event, where AEW World Heavyweight Champion MJF defended against Samoa Joe.
Prior to the match, MJF was dealing with injuries to his shoulder and hip, leading to expectations of him taking a break following the event. Joe’s win and capturing the title were always part of AEW’s plans and not because of MJF’s injuries. MJF is debating whether to do rehab or get shoulder surgery.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that if MJF gets the surgery then he could be out for a year. He wrote,
“MJF worked the match in great pain with his torn labrum, as well as hip injury from the crazy elbow drop off the top rope to the floor in the Jay White match at Full Gear. The shoulder injury is the most serious. He’s hoping to have it heal through rehab rather than surgery, because surgery would put him out for months, and he was told perhaps close to a year, which he wants to avoid. But long-term, he’s young and getting this as fixed long-term could be a lot better than it constantly being a problem for the rest of his career. As of now, he and doctors will determine what direction he tries.“
