MJF no show AEW Fan Fest

[Kay Faban]

May 29, 2022 10:45:48 GMT -5 Mid-Carder said:

May 29, 2022 10:41:18 GMT -5 Kay Faban said:

Has CM Punk tweeted his support yet?

I know Punk had good intentions with his tweet but I couldn't help thinking it would backfire on him at some stage. Because from what we can see, there's no defending MJF here. 

Is there any defending what Banks and Naomi did?

[Legion]

May 29, 2022 10:43:51 GMT -5 brettappedout (BLM) said:

If this is work. Who is getting worked? The fans? not really imo most know MJF shitck and 24/7 heeling.

So if fans aren't being worked ala Bryan and his stuck knee. what's the point even more heat for MJF. Again does he need that? No is my answer.

Also f***ing people over on a meet and greet as a work would be incredibly stupid imo because now how could you 100% trust a AEW meet and greet if a wrestler/Tony feels like working them and doesn't show up? Not to be malicious, but because they really want the work fans to "help" a storyline (in the workers head). You're just f***ing over people.

Internet fans, specifically. Those who are reading the news and Twitter and getting worked up over the 'MJF wants to go to WWE, OMG, he is going to betray AEW, we must boo him totally and not cheer him on the side!'

Does he need that? No. Could he and Tony think that's a great idea? Yes. He's young and Tony has a strange sense of 'if I think this is cool, everyone else will!' when it comes to his decisions.

Yes, it would be scummy for people who came to see him at the meet and greet not to get him, but there were other people there, right? So it wasn't totally pointless or for nothing.

It just feels very 'old fashioned heel move' to me, and then to carry on and have leaks about planes and contracts - it feels like someone thinking this would be something that would keep heat as heat, rather than turn MJF in to smark cheerbait, which could easily happen and clearly isnt what they want.

I dunno, maybe I'm working myself, but it just doesnt feel legit to me.

[Mid-Carder]

May 29, 2022 10:49:16 GMT -5 Kay Faban said:

May 29, 2022 10:45:48 GMT -5 Mid-Carder said:

I know Punk had good intentions with his tweet but I couldn't help thinking it would backfire on him at some stage. Because from what we can see, there's no defending MJF here. 

Is there any defending what Banks and Naomi did?

In my opinion, yes. The situations with Banks/Naomi is different as they left before a show after trying to plead their case. They didn't no-show an event fans had specifically paid to see them at. They didn't put WWE in as difficult a position as MJF has with AEW here if he no-shows Double or Nothing, which will also affect Wardlow and possibly Spears too. 

[Killah Ray]

May 29, 2022 10:52:02 GMT -5 Legion said:

May 29, 2022 10:43:51 GMT -5 brettappedout (BLM) said:

If this is work. Who is getting worked? The fans? not really imo most know MJF shitck and 24/7 heeling.

So if fans aren't being worked ala Bryan and his stuck knee. what's the point even more heat for MJF. Again does he need that? No is my answer.

Also f***ing people over on a meet and greet as a work would be incredibly stupid imo because now how could you 100% trust a AEW meet and greet if a wrestler/Tony feels like working them and doesn't show up? Not to be malicious, but because they really want the work fans to "help" a storyline (in the workers head). You're just f***ing over people.

Internet fans, specifically. Those who are reading the news and Twitter and getting worked up over the 'MJF wants to go to WWE, OMG, he is going to betray AEW, we must boo him totally and not cheer him on the side!'

Does he need that? No. Could he and Tony think that's a great idea? Yes. He's young and Tony has a strange sense of 'if I think this is cool, everyone else will!' when it comes to his decisions.

Yes, it would be scummy for people who came to see him at the meet and greet not to get him, but there were other people there, right? So it wasn't totally pointless or for nothing.

It just feels very 'old fashioned heel move' to me, and then to carry on and have leaks about planes and contracts - it feels like someone thinking this would be something that would keep heat as heat, rather than turn MJF in to smark cheerbait, which could easily happen and clearly isnt what they want.

I dunno, maybe I'm working myself, but it just doesnt feel legit to me.

If that were the case, I'd strangely feel bad for SRS...seems like he was pulled into it for no reason and it hurts his credibility going forward...

[Final Countdown Jones]

And even if WWE doesn't lowball him, consider that there's no f***ing bidding war at this point. He's taking WWE's offer. That's the offer. It might be what they'd have given him, it might be more than Tony could have done, but it is in no way going to give him the bidding war he's holding out for, it's going to lock him in to what WWE wants him to take. That can be bad for him without them saying "ha ha loser you have no leverage, we'll pay you five peanuts and a surplus Becky Lynch funko pop every month"

[BlackoutCreature]

For those thinking that MJF will get lowballed by the WWE over this, look at it this way - if MJF gets away with this, gets his release, and still gets a good offer from the WWE, this could signal to other AEW wrestlers that they could always get away with crap like this and throw the AEW locker room into chaos. Vince might not have cared about indies or TNA in the past, but if he genuinely sees AEW as a legit threat to him, he may feels this is worthwhile.

[Natural Born Farmer]

May 29, 2022 11:05:42 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

For those thinking that MJF will get lowballed by the WWE over this, look at it this way - if MJF gets away with this, gets his release, and still gets a good offer from the WWE, this could signal to other AEW wrestlers that they could always get away with crap like this and throw the AEW locker room into chaos. Vince might not have cared about indies or TNA in the past, but if he genuinely sees AEW as a legit threat to him, he may feels this is worthwhile.

If AEW releases him and he shows up in WWE shortly thereafter crowing about what he did, AEW could very well file a contract tampering suit just to get to discovery and see what shakes out.

Tony has the money to throw at this.  WWE, with it's shareholders, would do well to not try and force his hand.

[Citizen Snips]

The only way I could see this being a work is Tony’s idea to stall for time during the Celtics/Heat game was to cut a 2 hour shoot promo in the ring and this is what he came up with.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Just have Spears put Wardlow against another giant.


Spears says Sterling found a loophole in the stipulation, and now he has found the perfect replacement: JONAH Rock.

[Natural Born Farmer]

May 29, 2022 11:09:27 GMT -5 Citizen Snips said:

The only way I could see this being a work is Tony’s idea to stall for time during the Celtics/Heat game was to cut a 2 hour shoot promo in the ring and this is what he came up with.

Off topic but I did wonder if the reasoning behind 13 matches was that a couple of them are planned as borderline squashes that they can let play out longer if necessary.

Coincidentally I think MJF/Wardlow might have been one of those matches.

[Final Countdown Jones]

May 29, 2022 11:09:27 GMT -5 Citizen Snips said:

The only way I could see this being a work is Tony’s idea to stall for time during the Celtics/Heat game was to cut a 2 hour shoot promo in the ring and this is what he came up with.

Tony Khan promos are rough when he has two minutes to say he bought something, I want to see him have to run feature length so bad and not for any good reason.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

This also gives credibility to the Voices of Wrestling report that AEW is a bit of a mess backstage.

[oxbaker]

In what way does MJF no-showing for a meet and greet work as a work?

AEW/MJF would be screwing over paying fans — people getting in a long line only to be disappointed and having to get further back in another line to get someone else. And there would surely be a (small maybe) number who only got a FanFest ticket to get that opportunity to do the M&G wiht MJF so they’re completely screwed.

Not to mention besides screwing over paying fans, AEW is issuing refunds. And hurting credibility for future fan events because you don’t know that someone isn’t going to show up as a work. Whatever AEW’s faults, not caring about fans and actively backstabbing them isn’t how they operate.

You now have doubt about one of the two main event level matches that are selling this show. Could someone on the fence buy it to see if MJF shows and how it is played? Sure. But others might say screw it, that’s the main match I’m interested in and it might not happen. Not to mention Discovery might think such a work is a complete shitshow way of operating and rub their important broadcast partner the wrong way.

Finally, in kayfabe if anything MJF would WANT to be there and actually probably confront Wardlow. Why? Because if Wardlow lays one finger on him before the bell the match is off. That’s a stipulation, right? So if he’s actually (in kayfabe) scared of stepping into the ring with Wardlow the best way to get out of it is to show up and try to goad Wardlow into shoving him or taking a swing at him, not avoiding his last chance to do that and get out of the match.

[Legion]

May 29, 2022 11:09:17 GMT -5 Natural Born Farmer said:

May 29, 2022 11:05:42 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

For those thinking that MJF will get lowballed by the WWE over this, look at it this way - if MJF gets away with this, gets his release, and still gets a good offer from the WWE, this could signal to other AEW wrestlers that they could always get away with crap like this and throw the AEW locker room into chaos. Vince might not have cared about indies or TNA in the past, but if he genuinely sees AEW as a legit threat to him, he may feels this is worthwhile.

If AEW releases him and he shows up in WWE shortly thereafter crowing about what he did, AEW could very well file a contract tampering suit just to get to discovery and see what shakes out.

Tony has the money to throw at this.  WWE, with it's shareholders, would do well to not try and force his hand.

It'd go no where. If this was real, and this was related to WWE trying to poach and MJF was legitimately open to it, WWE will have never done anything themselves.

They'll have used a half way man, be that Cody or someone else, and anything 'offered' will be phrased as such.

Granted, WWE hasnt had to play this game for a long time, so a mistake could absolutely be made, but it seems more likely it would just show a bunch of texts between him and Cody with Cody pitching ideas and saying he could make things happen - nothing like 'Hey man, Vince told me to text and offer this'

[oxbaker]

May 29, 2022 11:09:17 GMT -5 Natural Born Farmer said:

May 29, 2022 11:05:42 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

For those thinking that MJF will get lowballed by the WWE over this, look at it this way - if MJF gets away with this, gets his release, and still gets a good offer from the WWE, this could signal to other AEW wrestlers that they could always get away with crap like this and throw the AEW locker room into chaos. Vince might not have cared about indies or TNA in the past, but if he genuinely sees AEW as a legit threat to him, he may feels this is worthwhile.

If AEW releases him and he shows up in WWE shortly thereafter crowing about what he did, AEW could very well file a contract tampering suit just to get to discovery and see what shakes out.

Tony has the money to throw at this.  WWE, with it's shareholders, would do well to not try and force his hand.

If they release him, that would presumably be made public. (But even if it wasn’t, this is true.) Once he’s released he’s allowed to find other work. Do you think AEW would sue any future potential employer on the hunch that the contract was interfered with.

The lawsuit would be thrown out if there’s no merit way before discovery. You can file a lawsuit for any reason you want, but for it to go forward there has to be something to back up the tampering charge other than ‘after we released him free and clear he found other work.’ They’d need some kind of evidence that WWE had been involved than just ‘well that’s where he ended up.’ 

I mean, they didn’t sue Cody. And he ended up there after being released.

[MrElijah]

May 28, 2022 22:01:17 GMT -5 @hedm2005 said:

The fact that there's now a worry that everything is a work makes me want to shoot Vince Russo into the sun.

Look, I'm not sure the what the hell is going on but to paraphrase Dusty Rhodes, Russo is a watermelon thieving, Egg Sucking Dog.

[chrom]

May 29, 2022 11:26:25 GMT -5 oxbaker said:

May 29, 2022 11:09:17 GMT -5 Natural Born Farmer said:

If AEW releases him and he shows up in WWE shortly thereafter crowing about what he did, AEW could very well file a contract tampering suit just to get to discovery and see what shakes out.

Tony has the money to throw at this.  WWE, with it's shareholders, would do well to not try and force his hand.

If they release him, that would presumably be made public. (But even if it wasn’t, this is true.) Once he’s released he’s allowed to find other work. Do you think AEW would sue any future potential employer on the hunch that the contract was interfered with.

The lawsuit would be thrown out if there’s no merit way before discovery. You can file a lawsuit for any reason you want, but for it to go forward there has to be something to back up the tampering charge other than ‘after we released him free and clear he found other work.’ They’d need some kind of evidence that WWE had been involved than just ‘well that’s where he ended up.’ 

I mean, they didn’t sue Cody. And he ended up there after being released.

Cody's contract ran out, big difference

[pinja]

This fiasco has already kind of destroyed the MJF/Wardlow story, because the focus totally shifted and will stay shifted until the end of it. Poor Wardlow.

[Celexa Bliss]

May 29, 2022 11:20:49 GMT -5 oxbaker said:

In what way does MJF no-showing for a meet and greet work as a work?

AEW/MJF would be screwing over paying fans — people getting in a long line only to be disappointed and having to get further back in another line to get someone else. And there would surely be a (small maybe) number who only got a FanFest ticket to get that opportunity to do the M&G wiht MJF so they’re completely screwed.

Not to mention besides screwing over paying fans, AEW is issuing refunds. And hurting credibility for future fan events because you don’t know that someone isn’t going to show up as a work. Whatever AEW’s faults, not caring about fans and actively backstabbing them isn’t how they operate.

You now have doubt about one of the two main event level matches that are selling this show. Could someone on the fence buy it to see if MJF shows and how it is played? Sure. But others might say screw it, that’s the main match I’m interested in and it might not happen. Not to mention Discovery might think such a work is a complete shitshow way of operating and rub their important broadcast partner the wrong way.

Finally, in kayfabe if anything MJF would WANT to be there and actually probably confront Wardlow. Why? Because if Wardlow lays one finger on him before the bell the match is off. That’s a stipulation, right? So if he’s actually (in kayfabe) scared of stepping into the ring with Wardlow the best way to get out of it is to show up and try to goad Wardlow into shoving him or taking a swing at him, not avoiding his last chance to do that and get out of the match.

MJF is the only one working, imo. I could see him thinking, "well, it's out there that I'm not happy and I want out. If I don't show up for the meet-and-greet, that would add fuel to the fire. And even better, I'll make sure some fans see me in the casino!" I know that reads as ludicrous and a parody, but it's not that far-fetched for a guy who allegedly plays the part 24/7. And of course he wouldn't have cleared it with Tony or anyone, because they wouldn't have let him do it. But the saying goes, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. I fully expect MJF to show up for the match, cut a promo about not letting people down like his hero did to him, then getting absolutely murdered by Wardlow.

If I'm wrong, then I'll admit it.

[Jindrak Mark]

May 29, 2022 11:09:17 GMT -5 Natural Born Farmer said:

May 29, 2022 11:05:42 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

For those thinking that MJF will get lowballed by the WWE over this, look at it this way - if MJF gets away with this, gets his release, and still gets a good offer from the WWE, this could signal to other AEW wrestlers that they could always get away with crap like this and throw the AEW locker room into chaos. Vince might not have cared about indies or TNA in the past, but if he genuinely sees AEW as a legit threat to him, he may feels this is worthwhile.

If AEW releases him and he shows up in WWE shortly thereafter crowing about what he did, AEW could very well file a contract tampering suit just to get to discovery and see what shakes out.

Tony has the money to throw at this.  WWE, with it's shareholders, would do well to not try and force his hand.

There's no way AEW or anyone else wants to open that can of worms.

Jeff Hardy debuted in AEW the day his no-compete ended. You'd have to be the most gullible person in the world to believe that he contacted Tony for the very first time that morning, negotiated a deal, arranged travel to whatever city Dynamite was in and magically had a whole line of merch ready to sell all within a matter of hours, not to mention there was all the teases on TV for weeks beforehand. Legal or not, Tony clearly struck a deal with Hardy before his previous contract expired just like every big company in any sport does. Matt flat out said in an interview a week or two earlier that Jeff was coming in and was just waiting for his WWE deal to expire. Someone obviously got in his ear and told him to watch what he was saying because the next day in another interview he tried to walk back those comments. It's this weird thing were literally everyone knows it happens all the time but you can't admit to doing it because it's illegal.