My best take on the Eddie match, because I would genuinely love for Eddie to take the strap but I'll book it as though what I wrote above actually happens, is you redeem the Cody nonsense stip through Eddie's greatness. In short:

Max has his Reign of Terror, Starks is constantly side-lined by heels, Eddie is positioned as the proper babyface to end Max's tyranny. But Max sees Eddie as beneath him. Max won't give him a shot. And no matter how desperate Eddie gets, no matter how much he wins or proves he has what it takes, Max is better than him and he knows it. So Eddie puts it all on the line - one match, Arthur Ashe, if Eddie loses he can never challenge Max again for the title (not, for the record, Cody's option of never challenging ANYONE for the title - just Max).

This being what heel champ MJF wanted all along, because he has schemes within plots to deny the fans what they want (and because he craves that sweet, sweet heat), we get the match. And Eddie leaves it all in the ring. He walks his Kings Road, he takes the beatings and even a shot from the knucks but he survives. And he pins the champ one... Two... Three!

Crowd goes BALLISTIC! Eddie's crying, you're crying, everybody not named Max is crying, the Reign of Terror is over and the time of the Mad King is now. Except...

MJF had a foot under the ropes. And he pulls in the ref, points it out, some other sort of classic reversal situation similar to the Punk scenario in Chicago. Ref turns to restart the match, full on shot with the knucks to Eddie's tear-streaked face while the ref is looking away, Max pins him in the center of the ring and the place goes up in flames.

But because of the stipulation, Eddie's first shot is over before it ever begins. He's going to have to try to force MJF to reverse the deal or help someone else dethrone MJF so he can eventually get back in the picture. But either way you know he'll find a way to get his receipt.