MJF was first to enter, with a montage of his feud with Garcia playing before he emerged from the tunnel. He got a mixed reaction from the crowd, but it was a relatively solid pop for the former AEW World Champion.
As MJF was pacing around the ring, Garcia attacked — no entrance, no music.
Both men were bandaged, Garcia around his head and MJF on his neck/upper back, showing clear targets for one another to take out. The early action was back-and-forth until MJF hit a huge neckbreaker on Garcia. MJF followed up with a hammer throw into the bottom turnbuckle and he taunted the Chicago crowd.
MJF, despite having his neck taped, focused on Garcia’s neck, dropping him on the ropes several times, securing headlocks and a belly-to-back suplex. MJF picked up a near-fall with a modified guillotine choke into a DDT. MJF covered Garcia with just his knee, allowing him to kick out.
Garcia finally was able to land a counter as MJF held him up for a standing suplex, but Garcia used knee strikes to move MJF to the ropes, violently sending both men outside the ring. MJF was first to his feet and Garcia avoided a count-out loss at the last second.
Garcia’s first big move came as he went for a Three Amigos version on swinging neckbreakers on MJF. Garcia went for a potentially match-ending piledriver but MJF countered into a back-body drop. MJF would score the next near-fall after he caught Garcia in midair and landed a combination powerbomb/backbreaker. MJF followed up by removing Garcia’s bandage and re-opening a cut on his rival’s head.
MJF lifted Garcia’s limp body to the top turnbuckle, looking for an avalanche piledriver. Garcia was able to escape and land a top-rope DDT to MJF but was unable to quickly make a cover. MJF, near the ropes, got his foot on the bottom rope to break the count.
Garcia dragged MJF to the center of the ring and went for a piledriver of his own. Garcia sold his head/neck injury and was unable to lift up MJF. The reprieve allowed MJF to recover enough to land a Canadian destroyer on Garcia, who kicked out just before three was counted.
MJF worked heel, kicking Garcia in a taunting manner. As MJF delivered kicks, an enraged Garcia got to his feet and confronted MJF. MJF used a poke in the eye to derail Garcia and set up a brainbuster which was countered into a series of small package rollups. Garcia continues his rage-fueled rally, no-selling a German suplex before following up with a German of his own and a big clothesline.
Another piledriver attempt from Garcia was countered into the Walls of Jericho by MJF. Garcia was able trip up MJF and lock in a crossface submission. The two men traded submissions from here, with Garcia cinching in a Sharpshooter while MJF locked in a crossface and armbar, the latter of which was broken by Garcia reaching the ropes.
MJF climbed to the top rope and lined up Garcia, who played opossum by collapsing. MJF nearly got caught with a surprise pin before Garcia locked in a submission and hit a jumping piledriver. Somehow, MJF managed to kick out at two.
Garcia brought MJF to the top rope, looking for an avalanche pile driver. MJF managed to escape by biting Garcia. The finish came as referee Bryce Remsburg was distracted and MJF landed a low blow on Garcia and quickly pinned him for the win.
MJF defeats Daniel Garcia in 23:47.
After the match, MJF went to shake Garcia’s hand. After Garcia agreed, MJF went for a kick but Garcia caught it and delivered a low blow of his own. Garcia then set up and landed an avalanche piledriver on MJF.
