As the old saying goes, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This, however, does not apply to MJF, who, as many know, loves to viciously target any opponent through the vile words he speaks. For instance, on this week's Full Gear go-home edition of "AEW Dynamite," the "Wolf of Wrestling" told the whole world about Roderick Strong's traumatic childhood.
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Heading into their match tonight at Full Gear, Strong has to figure out how he'll bounce back and put MJF away without allowing his emotions to override his in-ring prowess. Looking back on the promo from Wednesday, someone who's previously ignited violent actions with his words, Bully Ray, contemplated if this segment went the right way to provoke more attention to the match or if MJF's rhetoric went too far.
"When I saw the video, it really ... I don't know if the right word was 'got under my skin,' it hit me the wrong way," Bully stated on "Busted Open Radio." "I have made a career of saying things that absolutely nobody else would say, could say, started legitimate riots with the words that came out of my mouth ... Find the button and press it. Don't just press it; kick it in. Do whatever it takes to elicit the emotion of hate."
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For any match, one determining factor of whether it will be a crowd-pleaser or snoozer is the build toward the contest. For the WWE Hall of Famer, the big "what if" moment was how it would have looked seeing Strong reply during MJF's gut-wrenching promo, especially when the former AEW World Champion mentioned Strong's mother shooting his father and how after their match tonight, Strong will wish it was him who was shot instead.
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"What I hated was the fact that I didn't get to see Roderick Strong's reaction in the moment," Bully added. "I know AEW is up against MJF not being around right now ... so, I guess this was the lesser of the evils, having MJF pretape the promo and then getting Roddy's reaction. But man, I'll be damned if I'm not saving that, or if I'm not figuring out a way to make that happen live.
At last year's Worlds End pay-per-view, the Undisputed Kingdom revealed themselves as the tormenting figures who caused great angst to MJF and his AEW World Championship run, with Adam Cole leading the charge as "The Devil" in disguise. Seeking retribution for that moment, MJF issued a challenge to the Undisputed Kingdom; whoever could win three straight contests earned a shot at facing MJF at tonight's event. While some speculated Cole and Strong would each gain three victories, turning the match into a triple threat, it was Strong who successfully conquered Shane Taylor, The Beast Mortos, andLance Archer, respectively, to advance.
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If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
