How Big of a Blow Would MJF Leaving Be?

[BlackoutCreature]

Honestly, I don't think it would be that huge of an issue at this point. They gave him his big title win, his big title reign, made him "the guy". They've gotten what they want out of him. And it's underwhelmed, with fans seemingly ready to move on. AEW would probably have some PR damage in the short term from them not being able to hold onto a guy they promoted so hard as a cornerstone of the company from the day one, but any actual, long-term damage would be significantly less then what they would've felt a year ago if he would've left before he had his chance on top.

[jm]

Why is MJF, arguably the top babyface in the company, restarting the lame Bidding War of 2024 stuff implying that he may go to WWE which only stands to make AEW look second rate? As once again, the top babyface in the company?!

[rajaah]

Dec 18, 2023 11:32:05 GMT -5 Fade said:

Now? By proxy? Huge because they’ve made him “The Guy”.

I don’t know how to put this, but MJF seemed a lot hotter before the title reign. Like more of a lucrative signing before that. So, even though it’d be a blow, the silver lining could be attention being brought to a lot more guys.

Why is it that several of the world champions in AEW have felt like they cooled off a lot after they won the world title?

Is this normal? I can't remember noticing this happening consistently in any company before.

Jericho and Kenny both did well with the world title and felt like they were on another level during those timeframes, but everyone else has fallen flat I feel like. Moxley lost some of his edge after winning the title (though a lot of that might be the no-crowd shows). Punk wasn't around long enough to make an informed judgment since he'd get injured the minute he won it, and probably wouldn't have had the title for very long anyway. Hangman was huge before he won the title and then he rapidly became "just another guy". MJF has fared quite a bit better, but he's also lost luster over the title run (it going on so long and him changing alignments midway through might be a factor?)

I'm not sure why this happens, but it happens.

[rajaah]

Dec 18, 2023 11:48:03 GMT -5 Zone Was Wrong said:

Hypothetically it would be massive but I'm 99% he's already extended, if not officially but unofficially. Supposedly his contract was to be up on the 1st of 2024 and they have a PPV right before then for the title and there's a huge storyline with the Devil and their demons that won't be wrapped up before then. Even if Joe was to beat him, there's a big storyline waiting for him in 2024.

The big problem with Joe winning (and I hate that this is the case) is that Joe lost at All In to what is now a WWE guy. It's bad enough that Punk never really put over MJF as planned, but having MJF lose to the guy who lost to Punk would kinda suck and kinda puts a bad taste on this match.

In some alternate universe where Samoa Joe actually won at Wembley, they could be billing World's End as an unofficial title unification of the two belts and personally I'd be a lot more into it.

[The Gallus Mark]

Huge, especially initially, but they do have a lot of talent, so it would be okay overall.

He’s their top homegrown guy and the only “pillar” who is worth their spot, so I think they would need to do some reshuffling.

But, you’ve got Swerve, OC, Hangman, Starks as other homegrown-ish (in Swerve’s instance) talents that could step in and be big stars IMO

[KME]

Got to say I think it's a huge stretch to say Max has cooled off since becoming World Champion. He's still mega over, to the point they had to turn him face in the middle of his run, had his biggest storyline (with Cole) this year, the biggest in the company all year and headlined their biggest ever show, is having the best run of matches in his career and has been comfortably the best and longest reigning World Champion the company's had. He won't be everybody's cup of tea but he never has been, so people have always whined about him online, that's nothing new, I don't see it as comparable to someone like Hangman who definitely cooled off because the story there was in the chase and finally winning the big one, the title reign itself could never live up to that.

If it's a work the bidding war thing is weird as a face but he's meant to be playing effectively the same character, I.e still a scumbag who hasn't changed all that much, so I'm not surprised he still brings it up now and again. Mixed feelings on whether it makes AEW look second rate, I never think it looks good to have guys flirt with leaving whether it's a work or not but I get why you'd make a big deal of saying there's a realistic chance this guy could go to over to Snake Mountain, they really want him, but he's decided he'd rather stay here, if that's what happens. They did the same thing with FTR, lots of people were wound up by it but it did add some drama to their match with the Gunns and felt like a big deal when it was confirmed they were staying. It's weird though because they haven't alluded to the idea of him leaving on TV at all lately, and you'd think with a PPV with a name like World's End, the last one of the year, in Max's home town, with him suffering from injuries, that they'd have started playing up the idea that this could be the last you see of him, maybe they still will.

[Fade]

NGL it’d be low key hilarious if he did end up leaving after all this. Not “Phil coming back from a real life scuffle, given his own show, and allowed to have a fake title that he successfully defended at Wembley only to never be seen again”-funny, but funny.

[Denny Zen is Cooking™]

Dec 20, 2023 3:42:43 GMT -5 rajaah said:

Dec 18, 2023 11:32:05 GMT -5 Fade said:

Now? By proxy? Huge because they’ve made him “The Guy”.

I don’t know how to put this, but MJF seemed a lot hotter before the title reign. Like more of a lucrative signing before that. So, even though it’d be a blow, the silver lining could be attention being brought to a lot more guys.

Why is it that several of the world champions in AEW have felt like they cooled off a lot after they won the world title?

Is this normal? I can't remember noticing this happening consistently in any company before.

Jericho and Kenny both did well with the world title and felt like they were on another level during those timeframes, but everyone else has fallen flat I feel like. Moxley lost some of his edge after winning the title (though a lot of that might be the no-crowd shows). Punk wasn't around long enough to make an informed judgment since he'd get injured the minute he won it, and probably wouldn't have had the title for very long anyway. Hangman was huge before he won the title and then he rapidly became "just another guy". MJF has fared quite a bit better, but he's also lost luster over the title run (it going on so long and him changing alignments midway through might be a factor?)

I'm not sure why this happens, but it happens.

The popular narrative these days is that TK is an absolutely terrible booker who can’t book compelling storylines to save his life, but I don’t really think that’s entirely true. He’s great at booking a title chase. Hangman’s pursuit of the title is probably AEW’s all-time best storyline. But, once the chase is complete the story really stagnates. It happened with Hangman and it’s happening with MJF now.

I wonder if Swerve’s inevitable reign as a heel “final boss” champ will be better. Kenny and Jericho both had pretty great heel world championship reigns in AEW. It feels like it may just be best suited as a “heel territory.”

[Final Countdown Jones]

Dec 20, 2023 10:15:18 GMT -5 Denny Zen is Cooking™ said:

Dec 20, 2023 3:42:43 GMT -5 rajaah said:

Why is it that several of the world champions in AEW have felt like they cooled off a lot after they won the world title?

Is this normal? I can't remember noticing this happening consistently in any company before.

Jericho and Kenny both did well with the world title and felt like they were on another level during those timeframes, but everyone else has fallen flat I feel like. Moxley lost some of his edge after winning the title (though a lot of that might be the no-crowd shows). Punk wasn't around long enough to make an informed judgment since he'd get injured the minute he won it, and probably wouldn't have had the title for very long anyway. Hangman was huge before he won the title and then he rapidly became "just another guy". MJF has fared quite a bit better, but he's also lost luster over the title run (it going on so long and him changing alignments midway through might be a factor?)

I'm not sure why this happens, but it happens.

The popular narrative these days is that TK is an absolutely terrible booker who can’t book compelling storylines to save his life, but I don’t really think that’s entirely true. He’s great at booking a title chase. Hangman’s pursuit of the title is probably AEW’s all-time best storyline. But, once the chase is complete the story really stagnates. It happened with Hangman and it’s happening with MJF now.

I wonder if Swerve’s inevitable reign as a heel “final boss” champ will be better. Kenny and Jericho both had pretty great heel world championship reigns in AEW. It feels like it may just be best suited as a “heel territory.”

I think MJF's had a much better reign than chase, overall. His chase got completely demolished by the Punk stuff and their replacement shit with Moxley and Regal was really rough, where he's managed to make something of this face turn and Adam Cole stuff, even if right now the devil story's going through the motions. With Hangman, I think the whole thing was a victim of time and planning and the desire to do the Adam Cole story while they had the chance (knowing Punk was penciled in for a run come the summer), wrapped up in how averse Tony was to using the Dark Order meaningfully in Hangman's story after he won. It felt like so much of what should have been there and would have been satisfying got screwed not for lack of an idea of where to go next, but because the idea was never going to be the thing that would have worked best.

[Ecks Ecks Ringout Ecks Ecks]

It'd be nothing compared to all the blow in TK's office.

Sorry, we were three pages in without a cocaine joke, someone had to do it.

[Mecca]

Dec 20, 2023 10:15:18 GMT -5 Denny Zen is Cooking™ said:

Dec 20, 2023 3:42:43 GMT -5 rajaah said:

Why is it that several of the world champions in AEW have felt like they cooled off a lot after they won the world title?

Is this normal? I can't remember noticing this happening consistently in any company before.

Jericho and Kenny both did well with the world title and felt like they were on another level during those timeframes, but everyone else has fallen flat I feel like. Moxley lost some of his edge after winning the title (though a lot of that might be the no-crowd shows). Punk wasn't around long enough to make an informed judgment since he'd get injured the minute he won it, and probably wouldn't have had the title for very long anyway. Hangman was huge before he won the title and then he rapidly became "just another guy". MJF has fared quite a bit better, but he's also lost luster over the title run (it going on so long and him changing alignments midway through might be a factor?)

I'm not sure why this happens, but it happens.

The popular narrative these days is that TK is an absolutely terrible booker who can’t book compelling storylines to save his life, but I don’t really think that’s entirely true. He’s great at booking a title chase. Hangman’s pursuit of the title is probably AEW’s all-time best storyline. But, once the chase is complete the story really stagnates. It happened with Hangman and it’s happening with MJF now.

I wonder if Swerve’s inevitable reign as a heel “final boss” champ will be better. Kenny and Jericho both had pretty great heel world championship reigns in AEW. It feels like it may just be best suited as a “heel territory.”

It's hard to book long term babyface championship runs that are good and compelling. It just is, the vast majority of the one's that really sold involved either a pure white meat babyface constantly overcoming the odds and selling to children or an everyman beating the crap out of his boss and 1 upping him at every turn and over coming every obstacle in his way.

[cass de bain]

I think it would be a huge hit for any company's World Champion to leave and head to the WWE. It makes AEW in this case look like it's second class. MJF is AEW's world champ, a talent that the company has heavily invested in (timewise, moneywise, creative wise) - so I believe him leaving would be a big blow.

That being said, AEW has plenty of guys in the locker room who could rise to the occasion if given the opportunity, I have no doubt.

[doomish]

I think it would hurt. A lot. I hate to be hyperbolic and say it would be disastrous, but I want to. This combined with Punk's departure would be a ROUGHT look. Yes, they have talent, but most of them aren't over to the point where they're going to significantly improve your business. Even though I think this current version of MJF/his title reign has been completely abysmal shit, he's still a once-in-a-generation talent who they should keep at all costs. The optics alone of Cody jumping, Punk jumping, and MJF jumping would be really, really bad.

[The Captain]

Punk didn't jump. He got fired for cause.

[Glitch]

It would be like when Bret Hart jumped to WCW. AEW would have an egg on their face but financially they wouldn't feel much. Business would go on as usual.

[Natural Born Farmer]

In terms of creative? It'd suck to have a guy who's been such a big part of their product bail.

In terms of business?...... Honestly, judging by the ratings, ticket sales, and buy rates, not much.

Might be on an island here, but the bloom kinda seems to be off the rose.  He wants to go to WWE I think TK should let him, if he sticks around I hope they keep giving him good stuff, but I also hope he has a good attitude if they decide to take the focus off him and give someone else a shot with the top rocker.

[Deleted]

It would be huge as far as perception goes.

Because everyone that has jumped ship or in Punks case just shipped off has been names TK had put huge stock , time and effort into only for them to be all byyyyeeeee.

Business wise it likely wont make too much of a dent if any but that would not be the worrie it is the fact that big name after big name keeps choosing not to remain with AEW.

It seems the most loyal to AEW in the long run might just be those that were already burned by WWE initially and that giant chip on their shoulder...your Swerve , Moxely etc.

[mrbananagrabber]

This whole “biggest bidding war” shit should have been nipped in the bud right at the start. Doesn’t matter if he’s a heel, “I’ll leave once my contract is up and go to the bigger company if I’m not paid enough” is bullshit and does nothing for the look of your company. It STILL being a thing when he’s the biggest star they have, their champion and the biggest babyface is f***ing madness.

[gentlemengreg1]

1. MJF has been a successful AEW World Champion. Ticket sales are down but PPV’s have been very good overall and All-In was a grand slam.

2. MJF is not leaving AEW for at least another 3+ years if ever.

3. The concern trolling on this board is getting out of hand.

4. This thread is another on the long list of recently made threads which really blows.

[chrom]

Dec 19, 2023 23:16:07 GMT -5 jm said:

Why is MJF, arguably the top babyface in the company, restarting the lame Bidding War of 2024 stuff implying that he may go to WWE which only stands to make AEW look second rate? As once again, the top babyface in the company?!

Only shtick he knows