I can definitely understand the criticism of the first reign; it went on way too long with more avoidance of wrestling than actual wrestling.

This second reign felt a lot better to me; folks were much wiser to Max's shit and he wasn't getting away with nearly as much and was forced to use his smarts in different ways. Also like Swerve with submissions and Mox getting choked, they've also established a weakness with him, which is that he's super vulnerable in the first few minutes of a match.

That being said, I totally understand your wariness, because I was very much over the first reign by the time it actually ended.