#maxlow moment of the week

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Sending Wardlow to the other side of the room was a huge mistake. We all knew that. But he went.

Shortly after, as we expected, Pillman Jr. was in the ring, and MJF was backed into a corner:

What happened next is nothing short of an amazing Maxlow moment:

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A scared MJF curls into a ball. He covers his head waiting for the impact, but... There isn't one. He looks up. He finds Wardlow. He's got his back no matter what. And Max has to acknowledge this.

The following moments are hard to describe, it's not exactly clear what's going on between them. But it's clear that a shift happened.

MJF using his body to prevent Wardlow to go after Pillman when he's got a chair.

Holding onto each other.

...this 😳

They came into the ring a little distant... But they were so much closer when they left 🖤

See you around, you lovely individuals!

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[starlingsrps]

where the light won’t find you (5/5)

the official story spread by her mother is that julia is laid up with a sprained ankle (false) that she received by very genteelly tripping over a footstool (blatantly false). the cause of mrs. sweeney's public panic had been a misplaced trunk and nothing to make a fuss over (so patently false that julia could laugh if it didn't hurt her ribs to do so.

officially, she has bruised ribs and scratches on her face as well as a touch of what the doctor is calling a touch of shock. it's a nice way to explain why she keeps waking up in the middle of the night gasping in fear that crenshaw or maxlow have come for her again.

sarah keeps her company as she recovers, perching politely in a chair near the bed with a book when their mother is lurking nearby but flopping on the bed and curling up next to her when she isn't. she shoves fashion magazines in her face and reads her dramatic tales from the more sensational magazines. they share a bed for the first time since childhood and when julia wakes up, sarah does too and tells her long, rambling stories until she falls back asleep.

she carefully keeps track of days and on the third day of her convalescence, luke appears at the door of her bedroom

"oh dear, i think i hear mother calling for me," she says with a broad wink, picking up her magazine and vacating the room.

"you look well," he says after sarah's footsteps have faded away.

julia snorts and struggles into a seated position. "i look a fright but thank you."

"you're here and alive," he replies. "that makes you the finest thing i've seen all week."

it's forward for him and if she were more missish, she's sure it would make her blush but after the events of the past week and after her afternoon dose of laudanum, she's not sure if she's capable of being missish. "you brought flowers," she says brightly, changing the subject. "how did you know i like peonies?"

"marie," he says, setting the bouquet on the bedside table. "i don't think there's a thing about you she doesn't know."

"there isn't," she says. "and i know every thing about her."

"i can't say i have any friends like that," he says. "it must be a trait of feminine friendship."

"perhaps i can be that for you," she says. "you did save my life after all. it's the least i could do."

without warning, he presses his mouth to hers and it's the last thing she could have expected of him. it's soft and gentle and perfectly nice but she can't bear just /nice right now. need and want are suddenly clawing at her and she can't stand having only this. when he pulls away, she follows, scrambling up onto her knees to grip his lapels and kiss him again. she gasps into him when he deepens the kiss and grips her hips. his hands move up to her waist and she gasps in pain when he squeezes, causing her ribs to sing out in agony. she pulls away suddenly and stares at him for a moment, trying to catch her breath.

"gracious. that was-"

"i can't do this."

"i won't tell anyone, if that's what you're concerned about," she says, settling back against her pillows. "i'm not the type to haul a man to the altar for kissing me."

he rubs the back of his neck and suddenly seems incapable of looking at her.

"if it's because i kissed you back, please don't think me a jezebel. i got caught up and-"

"no," he says finally, his tone sharp. "it's not that. don't ever think that."

"then what is it?" she asks, confused by the sudden change in his temperament. "what can't you do?"

his hands move to his face and scrub over it. "julia...i'm promised to someone else."

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Friends...

We did it.

We survived the feud!!

✧ ｡*. ✽-(╥ ‿ ╥)/✽ ｡*ﾟ✧

I'm still internalizing the fact that we will be getting new stories, new interactions, new angles, new opportunities... I'm starting to feel excited again, about the boys' freedom from the disgusting hands of jeriblow, and the potential for the beggining of The Pinnacle era.

So let's delve into our moment of the week. What's on the menu for today?

ANGST.

And you know what?... I'll take it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I loved that the segment felt like old school maxlow, though maybe the way in which Max dismissed Wardlow felt a bit forced right now, since they've grown closer in recent history. However... that's what MJF has ALWAYS done after a loss: being a big dumb baby and taking it out on his big boy 😒

"Go stand in the corner and look pretty"

(🔥😳🔥)

Get a clue, Friedman!

I liked that Wardlow let him get a little hurt. Perhaps a petty thing to do, but SO deserved! I like it when Wardlow stands his ground, and I feel like that's good for MJF too. Maxlow has always been a bumpy ride! I'm pumped to find out what's next.

I know one day they'll have an epic breakup. But I know that one day, after that, they'll join forces again. I can't imagine them being apart for too long.

So I'm ready for anything, baby! Angst, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, bring it on 😎

I can't wait for the new adventures of The Pinnacle!

See you around, you lovely individuals! 🖤

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

How could I describe that moment when Wardlow showed up last Dynamite? Let me see... CATHARTIC.

I love that we finally got some strategy (Tully?✨). Like the commentary pointed out, it was a plan that wouldn't have worked if Wardlow wasn't right there behind MJF. Making Shawn go first was brilliant! And Jericho should know better... Wardlow is a commited and dedicated man.

Having Wardlow finally take down and humiliate that old piece of garbage was VERY satisfying. The sweet revenge was painted all over Wardlow's face after the win.

look at how happy and proud he is!

As soon as the fight was over, he picked bb up:

And now, the moment we were all waiting for...

That baby grab:

The care with which Wardlow helps his boyfriend boss is heartwarming (╥﹏╥)

Overall, it was a beautiful display of teamwork by The Pinnacle and by our boys. A well deserved victory for MJF (who showed a lot of heart!) and a well deserved Maxlow moment for all of us. JOY!

See you around you lovely individuals! 🖤

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Alright...I'm gonna start with the hard part: I did not like that segment. In fact, if it wasn't because it basically ended up being a wet t-shirt contest, I would say I hated it.

(I can't be too mad about it when they got this)

I have several reasons for my strong feelings about the segment, but I like to keep this blog as positive as I can, so I won't go on a ramble. Long story short:

1) I am DONE with this feud. Done. Just dissolve the IC already. I wanna see everyone interact with other people for once. Let's move on already. I'm done.

2) 'Women as Trophies' is one of my least favorite tropes in media. I don't want to see AEW giving away humans like they're pizes EVER AGAIN. The inclusion of the models in the segment was baffling and unnecessary. It wasn't even for a joke. They were there just to look hot. Greasy Pinnacle SUCKS!

At least Wardlow seemed to like them (we get it bud, you like women too, congrats).

Ok, now that that's out of the way... I'm gonna keep it short and sweet and just share with you some adorable, blink-and-you-miss-it maxlow moments from last Dynamite:

holding bb

picking up bb

BRUH

making sure bb doesn't embarrass himself

So yeah... There you have it. Mini maxlow moments of the week. I might not be happy with the segment, but I'm happy we have these. Let's hope we get better content soon.

See you around, you lovely individuals! 🖤

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

When I didn't see MJF at the beginning, my heart skipped a beat. I knew he would show up, so at first I thought it was part of a plan. But the more I rewatched, the more I started thinking I was wrong. Here's my theory.

MJF didn't want to be there. He wasn't supposed to be there. He was supposed to stay in the back chillin while the boys did the dirty work.

After Blood & Guts, he's been a bit depressed. We've seen him nervous on the ring, always looking over his shoulder for the Inner Circle, as if suffering from PTSD. Which... Is understandable, by now (this feud has been like goddamn Groundhog Day). He did not want to confront Jericho.

Wardlow was gonna shake Jake's hand. The fight that emerged with Shawn wasn't planned.

But when his team needed him...

MJF showed up.

He didn't look triumphant, he didn't look sly. He hadn't planned to be there. He looked like he was in a rush, because he was.

And I could only describe his energy as follows:

GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY BOYFRIEND!

Surprisingly, I think that we are in the presence of character development here. In this feud? Yup. Weird, I know. That's how hard our boys work.

As per Wardlow...

Here is the face of a man that realized his partner did something seriously messed up, and went "Is that what we're doing now?!... OK. Goddamnit":

He might not be glad about it. But he's taken a side. And I believe he made his choice long ago.

I also loved these two little moments here:

It looks like the tables have turned!

c'mon bb, let's go home.

I hope that Max destroys Sammy. I hope that FTR destroy PnP. I hope this storyline ends soon.

Stay strong, everyone.

See you around, you lovely individuals!

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

IT'S BACK!

What a ride this has been with The Pinnacle... So many frustrating, infuriating moments, so much potential thrown away for the sake of a celebrity cameo, so much water under the bridge already, as we got done dirty.

Maybe that's why it feels like the storyline of The Pinnacle is about to truly begin now.

I've been very disappointed in AEW for their lack of maxlow and for dropping the ball on the IC vs. The Pinnacle angle. However, the awesome promo and beautiful interactions from last Dynamite have rekindled my hope for a bright future for The Pinnacle. Either way, we have a bright future for maxlow.

I love the way the boys communicated in this segment, listening, paying attention, as if they were completely enchanted by each other. They were seen genuinely enjoying each other's company and complimenting each other... it warms my heart. The laughter, the glances, just the overall vibe was absolutely adorable.

One of my favorite parts was the scarf unboxing:

MJF: (o˘◡˘o)

*waits for bb to get scarf*

Wardlow: σ(￣、￣〃) ??

*is a confused boyfriend*

(ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE)

I want to say that Wardlow has been amazing on the mic. He's only getting better and better.

Look at the big man, making bb laugh!

I also want to highlight the fact that MJF was the one who encouraged him to talk this time. They've come such a long way, when you think about it. I believe that Wardlow has become more confident and outspoken, and MJF has become more respectful and caring.

We need the era of The Pinnacle to begin, AEW.

I will be watching closely.

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

See you around, you lovely individuals! 🖤

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Oh hey there...

What's that? Another Maxlow moment?! DON'T MIND IF I DO!

The segment started in a great way, with Shawn and Wardlow having fun with them MJF shanenigans:

ya silly goofball...

After Tully's epic bamboozle, things quickly evolved into more violence. And while MJF's first instinct was to hide away from Jericho the gross old man... Once again, he showed up to help his boy!!!

(╥﹏╥)

Just look at Max's energy right there. You messed with the wrong bodyguard, stupid idiot!

And let's not forget when MJF called to him for help later on. Yes, Max. He always has your back 🖤

Finally, the body language right here:

(๑♡⌓♡๑).｡*♡

Regarding The Pinnacle as a faction, it seems AEW still has a long way to go to achieve good quality storytelling. Sammy's arm was injured in the same day, yet he was out there fighting like nothing (like Jericho did last time). MJF better destroy him on Monday. I have no idea how they're gonna get out of this mess of a feud, but I'm trying to be patient.

Regarding Maxlow interactions... thanks, AEW.

See you around, you lovely individuals!

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week?

OH. MY. GOD. What a match.

Blood, sweat, and tears.

The way they pulled at our heartstrings! I was at the edge of my seat until the moment when the Pinnacle's success sunk in... The fear and anxiety were replaced by the aesthetically beautiful, iconic cinematic images of MJF covered in blood, internalizing this victory. Wrestling is Art.

While I was VERY disappointed that they aired a lot of Wardlow's screentime on picture-in-picture (🤬🔪💀), this absolute unit of a man found many ways to shine, like he always does. If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and look for a stream with no adds (it's totally worth the re-watch).

This might be silly, but... We have never seen him in full white before?! I loved it!

Actually, I love that the guys in the Pinnacle were all matching. The only thing I missed from this fight was a shot of the whole faction together after winning, but the matching outfits did a decent job at giving us a sense of unity. Plus, we got that little video of them after (x). That was a great way to get some closure.

There were many amazing interactions between the boys during the fight, but the Maxlow moment of the week is Wardlow once again giving it all for Max.

That night, to protect MJF, he went berserk.

When the situation looked hopeless for Max, despite already being hurt and exhausted, Wardlow made strength out of pure willpower and charged like a knight in shining armour to save his boyfriend boss.

He's a real-life superhero... absolutely breathtaking.

Bonus:

showing bb some appreciation earlier on

I can't wait to see what's on the horizon for our boys now that MJF has taken his spot. With this victory, the Pinnacle seats at the top. Now I want to see more interactions within the members of the faction, and a little bit more maxlow, s'il vous plaît. Either way, this feels like the beginning of a new era. This time for real.

Congratulations to all of you fans of the Pinnacle: we did it, we survived the wait. The struggle is done. It's been an arduous journey. Now it's time to kick some ass 🏔️🤘

See you around, you lovely individuals! 🖤

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Finally.

BEHOLD!!

The betrayal is complete. The boys are out of the Inner Circle. The Inner Circle is in shambles, as they ride into the sunset accompanied by powerful allies.

What else could one ask for? Well, some Maxlow moments, of course!

And this time we got two. They're small but sweet.

1) Look at this married couple. The naturality with which MJF goes straight for that wrinkle on the suit, mid-sentence. Does he check on Wardlow's tie before he leaves for work? I love this.

And here is my favorite thing:

Is Wardlow embarrassed by this?

No! He is proud:

Look at his smug little face!

Pictured: "the best insurance policy professional wrestling has to offer."

2) THIS:

I just can't wait to see more of our boys in this new environment. Get ready, AEW.

The Pinnacle has arrived!

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Goddamn did they ever look good at Beach Break.

The long black coat. The little bright shorts. Somehow these two opposite looks seem to compliment each other perfectly, just like the boys who wear them.

In the segment after the win, it became evident that Wardlow and MJF are conspiring together. Not that we needed any confirmation, but we needed to know that the plot is (finally) in freaking progress. It's not 100% clear how many members of the Inner Circle they're conspiring against yet. Is Jake leaving with Sammy? What will happen with Jericho? We'll see.

And while I'm excited for our boys being able to possibly destroy reform the IC, or hopefully leave the IC? I'm sorry THIS made my shipping heart pop:

These little taps:

This little moment of comfort (I am a sucker for these!):

And the Maxlow moment of the week:

As long as they keep having these moments, I think I can put up with almost anyone tagging along. The good thing about the boys joining the faction is that we get to see them more. Now, if they could make Wardlow tag with MJF instead of Jericho... I'd like the faction a whole lot more, I'm just sayin.

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

I'm always missing Wardlow in the ring, but lately, for every MJF match, it feels like he's part of the fight too. That's because he's the best boyfriend bodyguard a hot-headed person like Max could ever ask for.

Especially when THIS happens:

and Max be like (╬ Ò ‸ Ó) CHAIR! CHAIR!!

Nice try, guys.

But only one person can calm him down.

...ONLY one person.

There you go bb. No chair.

Why can't they just betray the Inner Circle already?! o(>< )o

Bonus:

Audience: *booing*

MJF's appropriate response: "SHUT UP!"

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Finally! Back to what it feels like a weekly schedule of having both of our boys on screen. Let's hope for the best.

Anyways...

I was super pissed that Wardlow was left out of the match (my ideal situation is the incredibly underrated Maxlow tagteam) but then I realized how convenient it is for MJF to have a man on the outside. In a way, the team supported by Wardlow wins. And that team is team Max. As illustrated by the moment of the week:

Does Wardlow know that MJF can defend himself from Sammy? Yes.

Does Wardlow know that PNP would prevent Sammy from starting shit? Yes.

Is that gonna stop Wardlow from comforting his boy? HELL NO.

I am so in love with how much physical reassurance Wardlow provides for MJF. It seems to help him calm down, too. Sometimes maxlow be like come for the buff, stay for the fluff.

I really think they are conspiring together.

One day, I wanna see the Inner Circle burst into flames and those two walk away holding hands.

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week:

We weren't given super meaningful interactions between the boys this week, but that's wrestling, you never know what you're gonna get. What I got here is two tiny little moments rather than a big one.

1) The fact that they announced "accompanied by Wardlow" first during MJF's entrance, only then followed by the Inner Circle. Accordingly, Wardlow showed up first. Yes! Continuity! I like this. As MJF wrote on Twitter, they're a package deal.

2) I have to confess I was hoping that MJF and Wardlow would leave the IC sooner than expected. That said, there's so much to enjoy about the whole gang...

Like this little moment here:

Immediately followed by:

'I don't know what's going on here but it's weird and don't like it'

x'D

In one hand, I love Wardlow's sexual tension? dynamic with Jake, and I love that MJF can spend more time learning from Jericho's vast experience.

However, I find that when Wardlow is around the other guys they usually distract him from his job, which is to PROTEC and lovingly support MJF.

When it's just the two of them against the world, Wardlow is IN. But if he's supposed to play nice with other wrestlers too, he'll have to get in a fistfight at some point.

This probably won't end well for the IC.

It's gonna be a fun ride!

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week:

And there you have it, folks. The Maxlow Moment of the week. To me, however, this little moment has been one of the highlights of the year.

MJF is my favorite wrestler. I adore Wardlow. But the one thing that warms my heart like nothing else is these two men together.

Throughout this year we've seen them struggle to work as a duo, mostly because of MJF's behaviour. Wardlow showed that he is the most loyal and understanding guy ever. Now, I might be wrong about this, but I think we've seen MJF trying to compromise too, surprisingly. VERY little, of course, and in his own special way. But lately his body language and his in-ring psychology with Wardlow tells me that he is at least TRYING. Which is enough for me to go insane with joy.

In a recent interview with AEW Unrestricted, Wardlow said about MJF "great chemistry with him and I, and I think it's only going to get better." I really hope this means a tag team run (shipping intensifies) but whatever it is, I'm here for it.

[archbishop-of-maxlow]

Maxlow Moment of the Week

Oof... what a sad week.

Losses, absences, sorrow. I don't want to talk about it here since it would feel a little disrespectful. This is a shipping tumblr, so I will sail, and I really need it this week too.

So... the last 14 days passed by with no direct Maxlow interactions (sʇɹnɥ ןnos ʎɯ). However, there is a little moment I'd like to highlight. There is no Wardlow in sight, but I consider it somewhat of a Maxlow moment.

This is how MJF reacts when Jake throws shade at Wardlow:

"Look, I understand he's an asset... but he's also an asshole"

"Next week on Dynamite: Hagar vs. Wardlow"

We all know MJF is great on the mic, but his facial expressions say more than a thousand words.

I also wanted to take this moment to say that I'm so grateful for AEW, keeping us entertained in such hard times as these. I feel like wrestling culture, especially during this pandemic, has been all about finding a place of comfort against all odds. And it is a place that has done a lot for me.

I am very excited to see Wardlow again. Hopefully he'll be able to cut a promo on Hagar so we get to hear what he has to say too. I am very interested to see how MJF will feel about this fight and how that will transpire in his interactions with our big boy.

I sense good content coming our way.

Let's keep up the good fight, people.